REESE   LIBRARY 

JNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

FEP  19  1894 
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Prehistoric  America. 


Iflonnb  Unilbcre. 

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anb  Snmbols. 
Cliff  Dwjcllcrs. 
^lnl)ccological  tidies. 


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MOUND  BUILDERS 


THEIR 


WORKS  AND  RELICS. 


BY 

REV.  STEPHEN  D.  FEET,  PH.  D., 

Member  of  Am.  Antiquarian  Society ;  Am.  Oriental  Society ;  Fellow  of  Am.  Association 

Ad.  of  Sciences ;  Member  of  Victoria  Institute,  also  of  Societe  de  Ethnographie ;  Cor. 

Member  of  Numismatic  Society  of  New  York,  Historical  Societies  of  Virginia, 

Wisconsin,  Rhode  Island,  Davenport  Academy  of  Science.    Also 

Editor  of  American  Antiqiiarian  and  Oriental  Journal. 


VOL.    I. 


ILLUSTRATED 


CHICAGO: 

OFFICE    OF    THE    AMERICAN    ANTIQUARIAN. 
1892. 


COPYRIGHT  BY  STEPHEN  D.  FEET. 


TO  THE  OFFICERS 

OF  THE 

SMITHSONIAN    INSTITUTION, 

IN   ACKNOWLEDGMENT   OF   THE    MANY   FAVORS   AND   KIND   WORDS 
OF    ENCOURAGEMENT   RECEIVED, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY   THE 

AUTHOR. 


INTRODUCTION. 


rpHE  four  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of 
JL  America  will  make  a  work  on  Prehistoric  America 
very  opportune.  The  author  has  spent  twelve  or  four= 
teen  years  in  preparing  such  a  work,  and  now  takes 
pleasure  in  presenting  it  to  the  public. 

During  this  time  there  have  been  many  discoveries; 
consequently  many  changes  of  thought.  These  dis 
coveries  and  changes  have  had  regard  first  to  the 
Mound-builders'  problem. 

Some  forty  years  ago  it  was  held  that  the  Mississippi 
valley  must  have  been  settled  by  a  civilized  people  who 
had  migrated  from  some  historic  country.  Silver  sword 
scabbards,  iron  knives,  Hebrew  inscriptions,  triune 
vases,  and  other  curious  relics,  were  dwelt  upon  as 
proving  this.  The  Mormon  delusion  grew  out  of  an 
erroneous  theory  as  to  the  "lost  tribes." 

Latterly  the  opinion  has  gone  to  the  other  extreme. 
The  Mound=builders  were  savages,  and  differed  from 
the  modern  Indians  only  in  that  they  used  stone  and  pot= 
tery  instead  of  iron  and  tin  for  their  weapons  and 
utensils.  This  opinion,  however,  is  as  far  out  of  the 
way  as  the  previous  one.  This  people  inhabited  the 
Mississippi  valley  during  the  same  time  that  the  Cliff = 
dwellers  and  Pueblos  did  the  great  plateaux,  and  the 
civilized  races  did  the  central  provinces,  and  constituted 
a  cultus  which  differed  essentially  from  any  other  now- 
known  to  history.  This  is  the  position  which  the  author 
has  sought  to  establish  in  the  first  volume  of  the  series. 
By  taking  this  as  the  true  position,  we  work  both  ways, 
carry  the  Mound=building  period  back  into  antiquity 
and  bring  it  down  near  to  historic  time.  We  may 


INTRODUCTION. 

ascribe  a  longer  period  of  occupation  to  the  people  and 
at  the  same  time  make  the  prehistoric  condition  more 
important  and  marked.  The  cultus  of  the  earlier  races 
is  magnified,  but  the  differences  between  them  and  the 
invading  hunter  tribes  is  increased. 

Animal  Totemism  has  been  a  subject  of  much  inquiry 
during  the  past  few  years.  It  is  a  system  which  has 
prevailed  among  the  uncivilized  races  everywhere.  It 
also  existed  extensively  among  the  aboriginal  races. 
America  is  the  field  in  which  it  is  seen  in  all  its  variety 
and  power  The  book  on  Emblematic  Mounds  illustrates 
this.  The  totems  of  a  tribe  of  hunters  were  wrought 
into  earth  shapes  and  constitute  striking  features  of  the 
landscape.  They  perpetuate  the  divinities  of  the  people 
and  embody  their  superstitions.  Animal  worship  is 
the  key  to  the  interpretation  of  these  effigies. 

The  myths  and  symbols  of  the  prehistoric  races  are 
proving  very  interesting  and  rich.  Some  of  these  show 
striking  resemblances  to  the  myths  which  are  so  well 
known  as  belonging  to  the  historic  countries,  and  give 
increasing  evidence  of  pre-Columbian  contact  with 
other  continents.  It  is  but  a  very  few  years  since  the 
autochthonous  theory  was  adopted,  but  discoveries 
have  already  thrown  doubt  on  this  theory,  and  now 
the  burden  of  proof  rests  upon  the  authors  of  it,  though 
the  law  of  parallel  development  is  acknowledged  by 
all.  There  are  very  strange  resemblances  between  the 
symbols  in  this  country  and  those  found  in  the  far 
East.  The  work  on  symbolism  will  bring  out  these 
points,  and  will  be  valuable  on  this  account. 

The  Cliff-dwellers  are  a  mysterious  people.  By  some 
they  are  classed  with  the  Cave-d wellers  of  Europe,  but 
they  were  much  more  advanced.  They  have  developed 
a  style  of  architecture  peculiar  to  themselves.  They 
were  probably  the  survivors  of  the  Pueblos,  but  were 
preceded  by  a  race  entirely  different.  The  relics, 


INTRODUCTION.  xi 

structures  and  other  tokens  show  that  there  were  three 
classes  of  people  who  inhabited  the  great  plateau  and 
made  their  abode  amid  the  mountains  and  deep  canons 
of  the  ' '  far  West '  '—the  wild  Indians,  the  Cliff =dwellers 
and  an  unknown  race. 

A  comparison  between  the  architecture  of  different 
parts  of  the  continent  is  drawn  in  the  fourth  volume 
of  the  series.  The  Indians  of  the  North,  the  Mound- 
builders  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  of  the  civilized 
races  are  described  in  connection  with  the  structures  of 
the  Cliff -dwellers  and  the  Pueblos,  as  they  all  represent 
different  styles  of  architecture.  That  there  was  an 
American  style  of  architecture  is  the  position  taken  by 
the  author  of  this  work,  though  it  is  uncertain  whether 
its  development  was  entirely  separate  from  contact 
•with  other  nations.  The  date  of  civilization  in  Mexico 
has  been  traced  back  to  the  thirteenth  century,  and  in 
Central  America  to  the  sixth  century.  Some  would 
place  the  beginning  of  the  Maya  civilization  before  the 
Christian  era.  The  contrast  between  the  architecture 
of  the  earlier  Mayas  and  the  later  or  Aztec  races  will 
be  also  brought  out  by  this  volume. 

As  to  the  age  of  man  in  America,  the  author  at  pres= 
ent  takes  no  definite  position.  The  progress  of  discovery 
has  seemed  to  favor  a  very  considerable  antiquity,  but 
as  doubt  has  been  thrown  upon  all  such  tokens  as  the 
Calaveras  skull  and  the  Nampa  image,  and  the  relics 
from,  the  gravel  beds  have  been  pronounced  by  various 
authorities  as  lacking  many  of  the  qualities  of  paleo= 
lithic  reJics,  the  subject  has  been  left  undecided,  with 
the  expectation  that  future  discoveries  will  furnish 
more  if  not  better  evidence. 

It  will  be  appropriate  to  say  that  portions  of  the  vol 
umes  mentioned  above  have  already  been  published  in 
The  American  Antiquarian,  and  the  points  referred  to 
have  been  subjected  to  discussion  among  the  archaeolo- 


xj,  INTRODUCTION. 

gists.  Other  portions  will  appear  in  that  journal,  and 
will  be  published  in  book  form  as  rapidly  as  circum 
stances  will  permit. 

The  author  takes  pleasure  in  acknowledging  assist 
ance  from  different  sources  in  the  preparation  of  the  first 
volume.     These  sources  are  as  follows  :     The  work  on 
Ancient  Monuments,  by  Squier  and  Davis  ;   Antiquities 
of  Tennessee,  by  Gen.  G.  P.  Thurston  ,    Antiquities  of 
Southern  Indians,  by  Col.  C.  C.  Jones,  Jr.;    the  Aborigi 
nal  Races  of  Tennessee,  by  Dr.  Joseph  Jones  ;    North 
Americans   of   Antiquity,    by   Rev.   J.   T.    Short  ;    Fort 
Ancient,  by  Warren  K.  Moorehead;  Mound  Builders,  by 
Rev.  J.  P.  MacLean;  Vanished  Races,  by  A.  C.  Conant; 
History  of  the  Cherokees,  by  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas  ;  Various 
numbers  of  Smithsonian  Reports;   Annual  Reports  of 
Ethnological     Bureau;      The    Davenport    Academy    of 
Science  ;  Peabody  Museum  ;  The  American  Association  ; 
Geological   Survey   of   Indiana;     The   Natural   History 
Society  of  Cincinnati;  TheCanadian  Institute  of  Toronto; 
The  American  Naturalist  and  the  American  Antiquarian . 
Many  of  the  cuts  in  this  volume  have  been  taken  from 
the  plates  found  in  Ancient  Monuments,  which  have 
been   reduced   by  "process";    others  from  the  volume 
by  C.  C.  Jones,  Jr.     Blocks  have  also  been  loaned  by 
The  Natural  History  Society  of  Cincinnati,  The  Daven 
port  Academy   of  Science,  Mr.  Boyle  of  the  Canadian 
Institute,  Hon.  Bela  B.   Hubbard   and   6.   H.    Binkley 
Electrotypes  have  been  furnished  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institute,  the  Ethnological  Bureau,  Mr.  A.  E.  Douglas, 
Mr.  Robert  Clarke,  Gen.  Gates  P.  Thurston.     For  all  of 
these  favors  the  author  wishes  to  express  his  sincere 
thanks. 


OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  MYSTERIOUS  RACES. 

Paleolithic  Man— Nampa  Image — The  Cave-dwellers  in  Europe  and  in 
America — The  People  who  Left  the  Shell  Heaps — Man  and  the 
Mastodon— Salt  Mines  and  Cypress  Rafts. 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

The  Mound-builders'  Habitat  in  the  Mississippi  Valley — Districts  Divided 
according[to  Geographical  Lines— Different  Classes — Effigies  in  Wis- 
sin — Lookout  Mounds  and  Tumuli  in  the  Prairie  Region — Military 
Works  on  the  Great  Lakes— Sacred  Enclosures  in  Ohio -Bee  Hive 
Cists  East  of  the  Appalachian  Mountains — Stone  Graves  on  the 
Cumberland— Lodge  Circles  among  the  Cypress  Swamps — Pyramids 
in  the  Gulf  States. 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 

The  Naming  of  the  Periods — The  Neolithic  Age— Date  of  the  Mound- 
builders — Contemporaneous  with  the  Mastodon — Elephant  Pipes  and 
the  Davenport  Tablet. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  BUFFALO. 

The  Appearance  of  the  Buffalo — The  Succession  of  Races — Hopewell 
Mound— Antiquity  of  the  Earth-works — Contents  of  the  Mounds — 
Few  Buffalo  Pipes— Burials  at  Different  Depths. 


CHAPTER  V. 
BURIAL  MOUNDS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  DISTRICTS. 

Districts  occupied  by  Different  Classes  in  the  Northern  District — Bluff 
Mounds  on  the  Upper  Mississippi— Effigies  and  Burial  Mounds  in 
Wisconsin— Burial  Mounds  of  Michigan — The  Chambered  Mounds 
of  Missouri  — The  Stone  Cists  of  Tennessee. 


xiv  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CIIAITKR  VI. 
THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  OF  OHIO. 

The  Symbols  embodied  in  Them — The  Circle  and  the  Crescent— The  Plat 
form—The  Circle  and  Square— Ellipse — The  Rhomboid  Figure — 
Enclosures  used  as  Villages — Provisions  for  Residence,  for  Amuse 
ment,  for  Water,  for  Cultivation— The  Defenses  of  the  Villages — 
Parallel  Walls  and  Covered  Ways — Fortified  Hills — Feast  Grounds — 
Sacrificial  Places,  as  well  as  Villages  Protected  by  Walls. 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  STONE  GRAVE  PEOPLE. 

Their  Habitation  on  the  Cumberland  described  by  Gen.  G.  P.  Thruston— A 
Description  of  the  Region — Were  they  a  Historic  or  a  Prehistoric 
People  ?— Description  of  the  Pottery  Portraits — Their  Burial  Cus 
toms—Who  Built  the  Stone  Graves  ? 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  MIGRATION  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

Three  great  Arteries,  The  Missouri,  The  Mississippi  and  The  Ohio  Rivers — 
Native  Migration  through  the  Ohio  Valley — The  Ohio  River  and 
its  Branches,  the  Kenawha,  the  Scioto,  the  Wabash  and  the  Cum 
berland—Different  Tribes  of  Indians  and  their  Traditions — The  Com 
parison  between  the  Works — The  Serpent  Effigies — Village  Enclos 
ures  and  Burial  Mounds — The  Different  Modes  of  Burial  in  the 
Valley  Compared  with  those  Practiced  Elsewhere. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS' CULTUS. 

The  Peculiarities  distinguishing  the  Mound-builders'  Villages— A  study 
of  the  Earth-works — Stockade  Villages — Walled  Villages— The  loss 
of  the  Cultus — Confederacies  among  the  Mound-builders— Variety 
in  the  Village  Architecture — The  Villages  of  New  York,  Ohio,  Ar- 
kansas,  Tennessee  and  the  Gulf  States — The  Peculiar  Features  of  the 
Ohio  Villages — Heavy  Walls — Covered  Ways— Observatories — 
Watch  Towers— Graded  Ways — Fortified  Hills — Lookout  Mounds. 

CHAPTER  x. 

PYRAMIDAL   MnrNDS   IN  THE  GULF  STATES. 

The  Cahokia  Mound  and  other  Pyramids — Brackenridge's  Description — 
Object  of  the  Pyramids — Falling  <  ianlens  and  the  Big  Mound  at  St. 
Louis-  Table  of  Measurement — The  Comparison  of  the  Pyramids  in 
Wisconsin,  Illinois  and  the  Gulf  States — The  Location  of  the  Pyra 
mids  on  the  Lower  Mississippi— -Walnut  Bayou — Prairie  Jefferson — 
Sclt/er  Township,  Bolivar  Co.  -Pyramids  of  the  Eastern  District— The 
Etowah.  Ma-vR-.,  Kohlec  Mokec,  and  other  Pyramids— Description 
of  various  Pyramids. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  xv 

CHAPTER  XL 
DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

Different  Methods  of  Defense  in  Different  Districts — Lookout  Mounds  in 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  West 
Virginia — Grave  Creek  and  Vmcennes,  Indiana — Stockade  Forts  of 
Northern  Ohio  and  New  York— Stockade  Forts  of  Southern  Ohio, 
comparatively  modern — "Ancient  Hill  Forts  "  in  Southern  Ohio — 
"Fortified  Hills"  in  Highland  County— Fort  Ancient — Two  Forts 
North  andSouth— Gateways — Walls— Lookouts— Terraces — Forts  on 
the  Miami,  Coleraine,  Hamilton,  Carlisle  and  Farmersburg — "Stone 
Forts"  at  Bourneville,  Ohio,  Clark  County,  Indiana,  Manchester, 
Tennessee — "Walled  Towns"  on  the  Big  Harpeth — Mandan  Fort  on 
the  Missouri — "Walled  Towns"  on  the  St.  Francis  River  and  in  the 
Cypress  Swamps  of  Arkansas. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  RELIGIOUS  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

Religious  Sentiment  Strong— Different  kinds  of  Religion  manifest  among 
the  Mound-builders — The  Geography  of  Religion— Animism — Among 
the  Nomads— Chambered  Mounds  on  the  Upper  Mississippi— Ani- 
imal  Worship — The  Effigy  Mounds  and  Totemism — The  Myth-bear 
ers  among  the  Effigies — Fire  Worship  in  Iowa  and  Illinois — Crema 
tion  Mounds  near  Davenport — Moon  Cult  in  Southern  Ohio — Crescent 
shaped  Wall  around  the  Dance  Grounds — The  Moon  Cult  and  the 
Altar  Mounds. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 

Religious  Systems  of  the  Mound-builders  continued — Three  Systems  em 
bodied  in  the  Ohio  District;  Serpent  Worship,  Sun  Worship  and  the 
Water  Cult,  similar  to  that  in  Great  Britain— The  Works  at  Avebury 
and  the  Works  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  compared— Horseshoes,  Con 
centric  Circles  and  Parallel  Walls  connected  with  the  Water 
Courses— Sun  Worship,  Sun  Circles  and  Graded  Ways  on  the  White 
River  and  Kenawha  River— Altar  Mounds  devoted  to  Sun  Worship — 
Orientated  Pyramids — The  Vincennes  Mound — Correspondence  of 
the  Sun  Symbols  on  the  Shell  Gorgets  and  in  the  Earth  works — 
Spool  Ornaments  and  Incense  Pipes  signs  of  Sun  Worship -Crescent 
Pavement  at  Circleville. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

MOUND-BUILDERS'  AND  INDIAN  RELICS. 

The  terms  Indian  and  Mound-builders — The  Protohistoric  and  the  Prehis 
toric  Periods — Deterioration  of  Native  Art — Geographical  distribu, 
tion  of  Relics — Relics  from  Canada,  Indian  and  from  Ohio  Mound- 
builder — Comparison  of  the  Relics  of  the  Indians  and  the  Mound- 
builders — Certain  Portrait  Pipes,  Modern,  others  Ancient— Indian 
Maces  and  Mound-bnilder  Maces  compared — Monitor  Pipes  of  the 
Indians  and  Mound-builders  compared. 


xvi  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XV. 
SYMBOLISM   AMONG  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

11  j>  Stones  in  Europe  and  America— Spool  Ornaments — The  Serpent 
Symbol  in  Illinois  and  in  Ohio — The  Phallic  Symbol  and  the  Suas- 
tika— Conventional  Figures — Inscribed  Tablets. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
KKLICS  FROM   ALTAR  MOUNDS  AND  ASH  PITS. 

Description  of  the  Altar  Mounds — Symbolism  in  the  Altars  and  not  in  the 
Ash  Pits — Fire  used  in  the  Altars  and  not  in  the  Ash  Pits — Character 
of  the  Relics  in  the  Altars;  Copper,  Lead,  Gold,  Silver,  Iron — Carved 
Pipes  and  Figures  upon  the  Altars— Character  of  the  Relics  in  the 
Ash  Pits — Rude  Pipes  from  Lime  Stone  and  Sand  Stone — Pottery 
Vessels  numerous  in  the  Ash  Fits,  not  in  the  Altars— Modern  looking 
Relics,  Copper  Bells,  Pottery  Vases,  Eagle  Pipes. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

RELICS  SHOWING  THE  CIVILIZATION  OF  THE  MOUND- 
BUILDERS. 

Civilization  not  in  the  Stone  Age — Mound-builders  not  Civilized,  as 
shown  by  their  Arts,  but  the  social  condition  varies  with  the  locality — 
The  Art  of  Weaving  and  Making  Pottery — The  Material  used — Or 
namental  Patterns,  the  Greek  Fret  and  other  Symbols — Three  dis 
tinct  grades  exhibited  in  America;  Savagery,  Barbarism  and  Civili 
zation — The  Mound-builders  in  the  upper  grade  of  Savagery  or 
lower  grade  of  Barbarism — The  difference  between  the  Northern  and 
Southern  Mound-builders  exhibited  in  their  Works  and  Relics. 


LUSTRATIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Figure    i— Paleolithic  Relics  of  St.  Acheul  Type 2 

2 — Paleolithic  Relics  from  the  Delaware  River 3 

3— Place  of  First  Find 4 

4 — Place  of  Second  Find 4 

5 — Pestle  and  Mortar 5 

6  and  7 — Nampa  Image . 6 

8 — Relic  from  Cave 7 

g  and  10 — Paleolithic  Relics  from  Cave  in  F ranee 8 

1 1 — Caves  of  the  Cliff-dwellers -9 

12 — Paleolithic  Ax  from  Trenton  Gravel 12 

13 — Elephant  Pipe  from  Iowa 13 

CHAPTER  II. 

Figure  14 — Animal  Effigies 22 

15 — Burial  Mounds  in  Illinois 23 

1 6 — Fort  at  Conneaut,  Ohio „ 24 

17 — Fort  at  Weymouth,  Ohio 25 

18 — Village  Enclosure  in  Ohio 26 

19 — Village  of  Stone  Grave  People 28 

20 — Chunky  Yard 29 

CHAPTER  III. 

Figure    I — Elephant  Effigy  in  Wisconsin 32 

2  and  3 — Obsidian  Arrows  from  Idaho 33 

4,  5,  6  and  7 — Shell  Beads  from  Mounds 33 

8 — Bone  Needles 33 

9 — Pottery  Vase  from  Michigan 34 

10 — Hoes  from  Tennesse 35 

1 1 — Sickles  from  Tennessee 36 

12 — Banner  Stones  from  Florida 37 

13 — Gold  (not  Silver)  Ornament  from  Florida 38 

14 — Gold  (not  Silver)  Ornament  from  Florida 38 

15 — Nondescript  Animal  from  Davenport  Mound 39 

16 — Copper  Ax  Covered  with  Cloth 40 

17 — Elephant  Pipe  found  in  Cornfield  in  Iowa 41 

18 — Section  of  Mound  on  Cook  Farm -in  Iowa 42 

19 — Plan  of  Mound  on  Cook  Farm 43 

20 — Hieroglyphics  on  Davenport  Tablet 44 

21 — Hieroglyphics  on  Stone  Tablet 45 

22 — Map  of  Mounds  on  Cook  Farm  in  Iowa 47 

23 — Altar  Containing  Sand  Stone  Tablet 47 

24— Davenport  Tablet 48 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

CHAPTKK    [V.  PAGE. 

Figure     i      Buffalo  and    Bear  near  Prairie  du  Chien 49 

2— Earthworks  at  Hopeton,  Ohio 51 

M ratified  Mounds  near  Davenport 53 

4— Circle  and  Square  (partially  obliterated)  near  Chillicothe,Ohio.  54 
5     Circle  and  Square  on  Paint  Creek,  Ohio 55 

CHAPTER  V. 

Figure    i    -Burial  Mounds  near  Gideon's  Bay,  Minn 66 

2 — Mound  near  Moline,  Illinois 68 

3— Mound  and  Shell  Heap,  To-head  Island .68 

4— Group  of  Mounds  on  High  Ridge 69 

5 — Burial  Mounds  near  Moline,  Illinois 69 

6— Burial  Mounds  near  Wyalusing,  Wisconsin 70 

7— Effigies  near  Beloit,  Wisconsin 71 

8— Effigies  and  Mounds  near  Koshkonong,  Wisconsin 71 

9— Mounds  at  Waukesha,  Wisconsin 72 

io— Mounds  at  Indian  Ford,  Wisconsin 72 

ii— Mounds  on  Rock  River 72 

12— Mounds,  Newton,  Wisconsin 72 

13 — Burial  Mounds  near  Aztlan 73 

15 — Chambered  Mounds  in  Missouri 75 

16 — Stone  Vaults  in  Missouri 76 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Figure    i — Platform  Mounds  near  Marietta,  Ohio 83 

2— Platform  and  Circle  at  High  Bank,  Ohio 84 

3 — Circular  Mounds,  Portsmouth,  Ohio 85 

4— Circle  at  Circleville,  Ohio 86 

5— Octagons  and  Circle  at  Newark,  Ohio 87 

6— Works  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio 94 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Figure    i-   Wolf's   I  lead  from  Stone  Grave 101 

2 — Pottery  Portrait  from  Stone  Grave 102 

3 — Portrait  Pipe  (Indian)  from  Tennessee 103 

4 — Pottery  Portrait  from  Arkansas 104 

5— Head  of  Stone  Image,  Tennessee 105 

6— Female  Portrait,  Stone  Grave 106 

7— Male  Portrait,  Stone  Grave 106 

8— Heads  used  as  Handles 107 

9 — Pottery  Heads  used  as  Handles 108 

10 — Pottery  Heads  with  Headdress 109 

1 1— Panther  Pipe  from  Carthage,  Missouri no 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Figure     i     Grave  Creek  Mound JI4 

2— Map  of  Works  on  Paint  Creek,  Ohio 115 

3— Fort  at  Hardinslmrg,  Ohio 1 1& 

4— Great  M<-und  at  Yincennes,  Indiana 117 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  xix 

PAGE. 

Figure    5 — Fort  of  Stone  Grave  People 1 18 

6 — Burial  Mounds  on  Scioto  River 1 19 

7 — Serpent  Mound  in  Ohio 122 

8— Serpent  Mound  in  Illinois 123 

Q — Altar  Mound  in  a  Circle,  on  Kenawha  River 124 

10 — Village  Enclosure  on  Scioto  River 126 

1 1— Stratified  Mound  in  Wisconsin 130 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Figure    I — Village  with  Water  Supply 134 

2— Village  with  Sacrificial  Mound 135 

3 — Stockade  Village  near  Granville,  Ohio 136 

4 — Stockade  Village  on  the  Miami 137 

5 — Stockade  Village  Four  Mile  Creek,  Ohio 138 

6 — Sacred  Enclosures  in  Kentucky 139 

o — Mound-builders'  Village  and  Covered  Way 141 

oo — Mound-builders'  Fort 147 

oo — Stone  Fort  in  Tennessee 141 

oo — Stockade  Fort  in  Ohio 141 

7 — Observatory  Mound  at  Newark 153 

8 — Graded  Way  at  Piketon,  Ohio 154 

CHAPTER  X. 

Figure    i — Cahokia  Mound,  Illinois 158 

2 — Big  Mound  at  St.  Louis 164 

3 — Pyramid  Mounds,  Falling  Gardens,  St.  Louis 166 

4 — Pyramid  and  Effigies  at  Aztlan,  Wisconsin 171 

5 — Pyramid  and  Embankments  at  Walnut  Bayou,  Louisiana. . .  173 
6 — Pyramid,  Ponds  and  Moats  at  Prairie  Jefferson,  Louisiana.  .174 

7 — Pyramids  and  Circles  in  Bolivar  County,  Mississippi 176 

8 — Pyramids  at  Seltzertown,  Mississippi 177 

9 — Etowah  Pyramids  and  Mounds 179 

10 — Pyramids  on  Shoulder  Bone  Creek 180 

1 1 — Pyramids  on  Ocmulgee  Creek 181 

12 — Messier  Pyramid  and  Pond 182 

13 — Pyramids  and  Earthworks  at  Kolee  Mokee,  Georgia 183 

CHAPTER  XL 

Figure    i — Hill  Mounds  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio 188 

2 — Map  of  Fort  on  Miami  River 189 

3 — Stockade  Fort  at  Newburgh,  Ohio 193 

4 — Fort  at  Coleraine,  Ohio 198 

5 — Fort  near  Hamilton,  Ohio 199 

6 — Fort  Ancient 203 

7 — Farmersville  Fort,  on  Big  Twin  River 207 

8 — Carlisle  Fort,  Ohio 209 

9 — Stone  Fort  on  Massies  Creek 211 

10 — Mandan  Fort,  on  the  Missouri  River. 215 

1 1 — Walled  Town  on  Big  Harpeth,  Tennessee 216 


NX  ILLrSTRATIONS. 

CHAPTER  XII.  PAGE. 

Figure    i     Chambered  Mounds  on  Iowa  River 223 

2  ( 'hambered  Mounds  near  East  Dubuque 224 

^ — Chambered  Mounds  in  Crawford  County,  Wisconsin 225 

4 — Circles  of  Skeletons  at  East  Dubuque 226 

5— Chambered  Mounds  in  Missouri 226 

6— Animal  Totems  in  Wisconsin 227 

7— -Turtle  Totems  in  Wisconsin 228 

g — Myth  Bearer  of  the  Dakotas 229 

g — Myth  Bearer  from  a  Cave  in  Wisconsin 22g 

i  o— Alligator  Mound  and  Altar  in  Ohio 230 

.n_Copper  Axes  and  Pottery  Vessels  from  Toolsboro,  Iowa 234 

1 2 — Skeletons  in  Mounds  near  Davenport 235 

1 3— Crescents  and  Circles 236 

14 — Crescents  and  Circles  in  Junction  Group,  Ohio 238 

1 5 — Crescents  and  Circles  in  Black  Water  Group 239 

^-—Symbolic  Works  in  Seal  Township,  Ohio 240 

17— Altar  of  Leaf-shaped  Implements  in  Ohio 242 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Figure    I — Horseshoe  Enclosures  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio 249 

2 — Effigy  of  Elephant  in  a  Circle 250 

^ — Concentric  Sun  Circles  and  Terraced  Mound 251 

4 — Terraced  Mound  opposite  Portsmouth,  Ohio 252 

5 — Enclosure  and  Covered  Way,  Portsmouth,  Ohio 253 

6 — Circle  and  Square  on  Paint  Creek 256 

7 — Constructed  Ellipse  near  Anderson,  Indiana 257 

8 — Sun  Circle  on  White  River,  Indiana 258 

9— Circle  and  Ellipse  in  Anderson,  Indiana 258 

10 — Sun  Circle  and  Graded  Way  in  West  Virginia 259 

1 1 — Plan  of  Altar  Mound 260 

12 — Altar  in  shape  of  Circle 260 

13 — Altar  Mound 261 

1 4 — Altar  in  Relief 262 

1 5— Crescent  Pavement 262 

16 — Works  at  Alexandersville,  Ohio 264 

17 — Works  at  Worthington,  Ohio 265 

18 — Spool  Ornament  and  Cross  from  Stone  Grave 266 

19 — Pipe  from  Etowah  Mound 267 

20     Circle  and  Crescent  Pavement,  Circleville,  Ohio 269 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Figures  I  and  2     Indian  Arrow  Heads 274 

3  and  \     Indian  Arrow  Heads 274 

5— European  Portrait  Pipe 275 

6 — French  Portrait  Pipe 276 

7 — Chinese  Portrait  Pipe 276 

8 — Grotesque  Portrait  Pipe 277 

9 — Grotesque  Portrait  Pipe 277 

10 — Mound-builders'  Portrait 278 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  .         xxi 

PAGE 

Figure  1 1 — Bird-shaped  Pipe 278 

12 — Cherry  Bird  Pipe 279 

13 — Modern  Pottery  Bird  Pipe  r 279 

1 5 — Portrait  Pipe 280 

16 — Pipe,  Glass  Stopper  Shape 280 

17 — Pipe,  Glass  Stopper  Shape '. 280 

18  and  19 — Trumpet-shaped  Pipe 28 1 

20— Trumpet-shaped  Pipe 282 

21— Tube  Pipe ' 282 

22— Tube  Pipe 283 

23— Flat  Pipe 283 

24 — Flat  Ceremonial  Pipe 284 

25 — Flat  Ceremonial  Pipe 284 

26 — Brooding  Ornament 285 

27 — Brooding  Ornament 285 

28— Saddle-shaped  Stone 286 

29 — Indian  Mace • 286 

30  —Indian  Mace  from  Canada 287 

31  — Mound-builders'  Mace  from  Florida 287 

32— Rude  Monitor  Pipe  from  Canada 288 

33— Rude  Monitor  Pipe  from  Canada 289 

34— Rude  Monitor  Pipe  (Indian) ! 290 

35 — Portrait  and  Monitor  Pipe  (Mound-builders) 291 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Figure    I  —  Fire  and  Serpent  Symbols  from  Arizona 301 

2 — Fire  Generators  or  Suastika  from  Tennessee 30 1 

3 — Cahokia  Tablet 303 

4— Cahokia  Tablet  and  Phallic  Symbol 303 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Figure    i — Altar  Mounds  at  Clark's  Works 311 

2— Copper  Rings  from  Altar  Mound 312 

3— Altar  with  Intruded  Indian  Burial 313 

4 — Double  Altar  in  Mound  City 314 

5 — Paved  Altar  in  Mound  City 315 

6— Altar  made  of  Flint  Disks 316 

7 — Double  Altar,  with  Pavement 317 

8— Heron  Pipe 320 

9— Spotted  Toad  Pipe 321 

10— Tufted  Serpent  Tablet 322 

1 1 — Ash-pits  and  Contents 325 

12— Pottery  Vessels,  Salamander  Ornament 326 

13— Pottery  Vessels  with  Ears 327 

14 — Limestone  Pipe *. 328 

1 5— Sandstone  Pipe 328 

16— Catlinite  Pipe 329 

1 7 — Catlinite  Pipe 329 

20  and  21— Limestone  Pipe 330 

22— Inscribed  Stone  Pipe  from  Tennessee '. 33 1 


xxii        m  ILLUSTRATIONS, 

PAGE. 

Figure  23  and  27— Limestone  Pipr- 332 

:i  -  Copper  Bell..  ..333 

25— Pottery  Vase 334 

26— Eagle  Pipe 335 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Figure  oo — Stone  Fort  in  Tennessee 342 

i  —  Fortified  Village  with  Bastion  Walls 343 

2 — Mississippi  Pottery 346 

3  and  4  — Banner  Stones  with  Greek  Fret 347 

5— Pottery  from  Moqui  Pueblos 348 

6— Pottery  from  Stone  Graves 349 

7— Frog  Pipe  from  Indiana 353 

8— Stone  Pulleys  from  Stone  Graves 354 

Q— Flint  Hoes  from  Tennessee 354 

10 — Barrel-shaped  Disk  from  Tennessee 355 

1 1 — Cloth  from  Mound  in  Ohio 355 

12 — Otter  and  Monitor  Pipes  from  Ohio  and  Iowa 356 

1 3 — Bird  Pipe  from  Stone  Graves 357 

14— Stone  Whistle  from  Tennessee 357 

1 5 — Clay  Pipe  from  Indiana .- 358 

16— Chunkey  Stones  from  Ohio 359 


MAPS. 

Map  of  Mound-builders'  Territory 1 4  to  15 

Burial  Mounds  near  Muscatine,  Iowa 17 

Works  of  Scioto  Valley 18 

Burial  Mounds  in  Minnesota 58  to  59 

Mounds  of    Kanawha  Valley  West  Virginia 112 

Mounds  on  Wateree  River,  South  Carolina 113 

Villages  on  Paint  Creek,  Ohio 115 

Villages  in  Cypress  Swamps,  Arkansas 132  to  133 

Forts  on  the  Miami  River 189 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  RACES. 

America  is  called  the  New  World,  and  so  it  is,  for  it  is  newly 
discovered.  Our  claim,  however,  is  that  America  is  also  an  old 
world,  and  compares  well  with  other  countries  in  this  respect. 
We  invite  our  readers  into  the  field  of  American  antiquities  and 
would  call  attention  to  the  prehistoric  tokens  and  remains  which 
are  so  numerous.  We  are  well  assured  that  there  are  many 
things  which  will  interest  them,  and  that  much  may  be  learned 
from  the  study  of  American  archaeology. 

History  is  but  recent,  but  we  open  the  door  from  the  historic 
to  the  prehistoric,  and  at  once  perceive  the  ancient.  The  vista 
of  a  long  past  opens  before  us.  It  stretches  beyond  our  vision, 
and  we  are  surprised  at  its  magnitude  and  variety.  There  is, 
indeed,  an  air  of  obscurity  covering  a  portion  of  it  and  deep 
mystery  enshrouding  it;  but  this  is  the  case  in  all  lands. 

To  illustrate:  Egypt  has  a  history  which  extends  far  back  into 
the  remote  past,  but  what  occurred  before  history  is  unknown. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  Chaldea,  Babylonia,  Assyria  and  India. 
The  historv  of  these  countries  is  carried  back  constantly  by  new 
discoveries;  nevertheless,  deeper  obscurity  has  come  upon  pre 
historic  times.  It  was  the  ambition  of  these  eastern  races  to  be 
considered  very  ancient,  but  the  fabulous  dates  have  been  dis 
proved,  and  yet  the  mysterity  still  remains.  China  is  supposed 
to  have  had  a  history  which  reached  back  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  years.  Such  extreme  antiquity  is  denied  to  China,  but  her 
earliest  history  is  acknowledged  to  be  uncertain  and  obscure. 
Greece  has  had  a  more  modern  beginning,  but  even  in  Greece 
history  was  preceded  by  mythology,  and  that  mythology  is  dim 
and  shadowy.  The  early  history  of  Rome  is  perhaps  better 
known,  but  a  mysterious  people  is  supposed  to  have  occupied 
Italy  before  the  Latins  migrated  from  the  east.  In  Scandinavia 
we  find  the  story  of  the  Sea  kings.  These  figure  conspicuously 
as  the  earliest  heroes,  but  other  people  dwelt  there  long  before 


the  Sea  kings.  In  Great  Britain  there  were  also  mysterious 
races.  We  go  back  of  the  Norman  conquest  to  find  the  Celts 
and  Saxons,  and  go  back  of  the  Celts  and  Saxons  to  find  the 
Britons  and  the  Basques,  who  were  comparatively  modern. 
IVe  read  the  story  of  King  Arthur  and  his  Round  Table  and  the 
tales  of  the  Druids  as  marking  the  earliest  period  of  history,  but 
we  find  the  prehistoric  people  of  Great  Britain  preceding  all. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  continent  of  Europe.  We 
go  back  to  the  days  of  Minnesingers  and  to  the  earliest  tradi 
tionary  periods,  but  long  before 
these  there  were  races  in  Europe. 
In  America  also  there  were  mys 
terious  races.  Here  the  one 
great  event  of  history  was  the 
landing  of  Columbus.  It  is, 
however,  a  very  modern  event. 
The  prehistoric  period  in  Amer 
ica  was  much  more  ancient  and 
prolonged  than  the  historic,  and 
yet  there  is  great  obscurity  over 
the  entire  period. 

We  have  set  before  us  the  sub 
ject  of  this  chapter,  "  The  Mys 
terious  Races,"  especially  those 
found  in  America.  We  are  to 
take  the  monuments  and  the  rel 
ics  as  an  evidence  that  such  races 
have  existed,  but  we  are  to  study 
these  as  our  special  source  of  in 
formation.  We  call  them  the 
prehistoric  races,  and  yet  may 
treat  them  as  though  they  were 
historic. 

I.  We  are  to  begin  with  the 
paleolithic  age.  It  is  now  ac 
knowledged  that  there  was  a  pale 
olithic  age  in  America  as  well  as 
in  Europe.  It  is  perhaps  due  to  the  investigations  of  Dr.  C.  C. 
Abbott  that  the  first  discovery  of  the  paleolithic  age  in  America 
was  made.  This  consisted  in  the  finding  of  many  rude  relics  in 
the  gravel  beds  near  Trenton,  New  Jersey— relics  which  strongly 
resemble  the  paleolithics  of  Europe.  It  was  followed,  however, 
by  the  discovery  of  quartz  implements  in  the  vicinity  of  River 
Falls,  Minnesota,  by  Miss  Francis  E.  Babbit.  Figs.  3  and  4.* 


Fig.  1-Paleolithic  Relic,  St.  Acheul  Type. 


*The  cuts  show  the  location  of  the  gravel  beds  at  Trenton  and  River  Falls.  They 
also  illuscrase  the  relation  of  these  beds  to  the  ancient  rivers  and  to  the  loop  in  the 
moraines.  Other  relics  have  been  discovered  at  Medora,  Indiana,  and  at  Loveland, 
Ohio,  and  at  Newcomerstown,  Ohio.  These  were  also  at  the  edge  of  the  same  great 
ice  sheet. 


The  terminal  moraine  of  the  "great  glacial  sea"  stretches  across 
the  continent,  leaving  the  marks  of  the  progress  and  decline  of 
the  ice  age  throughout  the  northern  borders.  Scattered  along 
this  terminal  moraine  at  various  points  these  relics  have  been  dis 
covered  which  show  that  man  existed  even  in  the  "ice  age". 
They  are  not  found  at  very  great  depths  nor  are  they  associated 
with  remains  which  indicate  very  great  age;  but  so  far  as  they 

o,  they  help  us  to  understand  the  mystery'  of  man's  beginning. 

he  condition  of  man  was  primitive,  scarcely  more  than  a  savage 
who  gained  his  subsistence  by 
fishing  and  who  dwelt  upon 
the  edge  of  the  ice  sheet  and 
fabricated  rude  relics.  If  more 
of  the  extinct  animals  had  been 
found  associated  with  his  re 
mains  or  fragments  of  the  food 
upon  which  he  had  subsisted 
had  been  discovered,  we 
should  know  something  of  his 
condition.  All  that  we  can 
say  about  this  mysterious  race 
is  that  they  used  rude  stone 
weapons  and  that  they  be 
longed  to  the  paleolithic  age. 

The  date  of  man's  first  ap 
pearance  is  now  unknown. 
Some  carry  back  the  paleo 
lithic  age  through  the  entire 
preglacial  period,  making  the 
two  contemporaneous;  while 
others  introduce  it  at  the  close 
of  the  glacial  period,  making 
the  age  of  man  in  America 
about  ten  thousand  years.  The 
prevalence  of  man  at  the  close 
of  the  period  is  certainly  to 
be  acknowledged.  The  pale 
olithic  relics  are  wide-spread,  . 

,     ,  .,  i       1-4.U-  Fig.  2.  -Paleolithic  Relic  from  the  Delaware. 

and  show  that  paleolithic  man 

was  present  in  many  places.  We  call  attention  to  the  cuts  (Figs. 
I  and  2)  here,  which  illustrate  the  paleolithic  relics  which  are 
found  in  Europe  and  America.  The  specimen  represented  as 
European  was  described  by  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  in  THE  AMERI 
CAN  ANTIQUARIAN  and  is  called  by  him  the  Chellean  or  St.  Acheul 
type.*  The  American  specimen  was  described  in  the  same  journal 
by  Dr.  C.  C.  Abbott  and  is  said  to  be  a  good  representative  of 


*See  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  X,  p.  6;  Vol.  VII,  p.  308:  Vol.  VIII,  p.  44. 
Popular  Science  Monthly  for  July,  1891. 


Also 


the  argillite  of  the  Delaware.  Dr.  Abbot  speaks  of  others  in 
the  shape  of  rude  axes,  some  of  which  exhibit  an  imperfect 
groove,  as  if  intended  for  a  handle,  near  the  middle.  See  Fig.  12. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  strik 
ing  resemblance  between  the  relics 
found  in  America  and  those  found  in 
Europe.  The  shape  is  that  of  a  pear. 
The  European  specimens  generally 
contain  a  gloss  upon  them,  which  is 
called  the  patina,  and  frequently  have 
dendrites  upon  the  surface,  which  are 
sure  signs  of  age.  The  American 
specimens  very  rarely  have  the  patina 
or  the  dendrites.  Prof.  Wright,  how 
ever,  says  that  the  relic  discovered  by 
Mr.  W.  C.  Mills,  in  1889,  at  New- 
comerstown,  fifteen  feet  below  the  sur 
face,  has  the  patina  characteristic  of 
the  genuine  flint  implements  of  great 
age  in  the  valley  of  the  Somme." 
2.  This  leads  us  to  the  considera- 

Fig.  S.-Place  of  the  First  -Find.-  ^  Qf  the  auriferous  gravds  and  laya 

beds.  The  discovery  of  a  fragment  of  a  human  skull  associated 
with  the  bones  of  the  mastodon  in  the  auriferous  gravels  of  Table 
Mountain,  at  the  depth  of  180  feet,  in  1857,  was  an  event  which 
excited  interest  among  all  the  learned  societies  in  America  and 

Europe.     A  few  years  later,  in   1866,  ( 

Prof.  J.  D.  Whitney  announced  the 
discovery  ot  a  skull,  nearly  complete, 
at  a  depth  of  about  130  feet.  This 
was  in  Calaveras  County,  on  the  west 
ern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas.  The 
deposit  rested  on  a  bed  of  lava,  and 
was  covered  with  severallayers  of  vol 
canic  deposits.  The  skull  was  imbed 
ded  in  consolidated  gravel,  in  which 
were  several  other  fragments  of  human 
bones  and  remains  of  some  small  ani 
mals  and  the  shell  of  a  land  snail. 
Much  discussion  followed  this  discov 
ery.  Many  were  inclined  to  doubt 
its  genuineness.  Some  maintained  that 
the  miners  had  perpetrated  a  trick,  as 
the  skull  was  taken  from  the  shaft  of 

r     ,,  •  •  T>      r        Fig.S.— Place  of  the  Second  "Find. 

one    of    the  ancient   mines.       Profes 
sor  Whitney,  however,  published  a  letter,  in  which  he  maintained 
the  genuineness  of  the  find,  and  claimed  for  the  skull  extreme 
antiquity.     His  words  are :     "I  feel  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 


we  have  unequivocal  proofs  of  the  existence  of  man  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  prior  to  the  glacial  periods,  prior  to  the  existence 
of  the  mastodon  and  the  elephant,  and  at  a  time  when  animal 
and  vegetable  life  were  entirely  different  from  what  they  are  now, 
and  since  which  a  vertical  erosion  of  from  two  thousand  to  three 
thousand  feet  of  hard  rock  strata  has  taken  place."  He  pub 
lished  a  monograph  on  auriferous  gravels,  in  which  he  described 
the  various  localities  where  steatite  .pots  and  ollas  and  mortars 
had  been  found,  some  of  them  at  the  depth  of  fifty  feet.  Major 
J.  W.  Powell  has  shown  that  these  were  just  such  mortars  as  are 
found  on  the  surface  and  so  should  be  classed  with  neolithic 
relics  of  an  advanced  type.  Fig.  5.  It  should  be  said  also  of 
the  Calaveras  skull  itself  that  it  gives  contradictory  evidence. 
While  in  some  respects  it  resembles  the  Eskimo  type,  it  is  far 
from  being  such  a  skull  as  one 
would  expect  to  find  in  the  gravel 
beds.  Judging  from  its  position 
we  should  consider  this  perhaps 
the  most  ancient  relic  which  has 
been  discovered,  and  might  con 
clude  that  it  proved  that  man 
existed  in  the  tertiary  period, 
but  an  examination  of  the  skull 
would  lead  to  the  opposite  con 
clusion.  The  Neanderthal  skull 
stands  in  the  world  of  science 
as  the  representative  of  the  most 
ancient  of  the  human  race.  The 
Calaveras  skull  is  in  strong  con 
trast  with  the  Neanderthal,  It 
was  found  at  a  greater  depth  and 
should  be  the  older,  but  it  was 
superior  and  so  would  be  classed 
as  the  younger. 

Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  sums  up 
the  characteristics  of  paleolithic 

man  as  far  as  known.  "He  was  short  of  stature  and  strong  of 
limb.  His  head  was  long  in  proportion  to  its  breadth,  his  under 
jaw  was  square  and  heavy,  and  his  chin  sloped  backward,  and 
he  had  a  retreating  forehead.  His  skull  was  small  in  front  and 
large  behind."  No  such  characteristics  can  be  recognized  in  the 
ancient  American.  It  is  a  theory  with  some  that  the  paleo 
lithic  man  of  Europe  migrated  through  Northern  Asia  and  sur 
vives  in  the  Eskimo  of  the  present.  This  is  indeed  possible. 
This  paleolithic  man  might,  in  the  very  early  ages,  have  passed 
over  the  bridge  formed  by  the  Aleutian  Islands.  He  may  have 
migrated  southward,  keeping  on  the  edge  of  the  "  ice  sheet." 
He  may  afterward,  after  the  ice  sheet  retired,  moved  northward, 


Fig.  5.— Pestle  and  Mortar. 


leaving  a  few  stray  specimens  buried  in  the  gravel-beds,  but  the 
ollas  and  the  mortars  are  still  unaccounted  for. 

In  reference  to  the  relics  found  in  these  gravels,  Prof.  F.  G. 
Wright  says:  "  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  run  upon  evidence  of  a 
previously  unreported  instance  of  the  discovery  of  a  stone  mortar 
under  Table  Mountain.  This  mortar  was  found  in  1887,  100 
feet  below  the  surface  and  175  feet  in  a  horizontal  line  from  the 
edge  of  the  basalt;  made  from  a  small  boulder.  It  is  six  and  a 
half  inches  through  the  hollow,  being  about  three  and  a  half 
inches  in  diameter  and  three  inches  deep.  Another  mortar  was 
discovered  in  1879,  and  was  reported  in  1891  as  coming  from 
undisturbed  gravel,  and  a  pestle  was  presented  by  Mr.  J.  F. 
Becker  to  the  Geological  Society  with  the  assurance  that  Mr. 
Clarence  King  took  it  with  his  own  hands, 
twenty  years  before,  from  the  gravel  under 
Table  Mountain."* 

The  Nampa  Image  has  excited  much  at 
tention.  It  has  been  described  by  Prof. 
Wright. f  It  was  discovered  at  Boise  City, 
Idaho  Territory,  in  an  artesian  well  at  a  depth 
of  320  feet  and  200  feet  below  the  lava  rock, 
in  a  layer  of  coarse  sand,  and  immedi 
ately  above  a  vegetable  soil.  The  deposits 
may  have  been  caused  by  some  ancient  ob 
struction  of  the  Snake  River,  or  by  some 
^  sudden  flood  caused  by  the  melting  of  the 
glaciers  of  Yellowstone  Park.  The  image,  according  to  one 
account  by  Professor  Wright,  was  made  of  clay — the  same  kind 
of  clay  which  came  out  in  balls  from  the  well.  According  to 
another  it  was  carved  out  of  rather  fine  pumice  stone,  though  in 
his  last  report  it  was  made  of  slightly  baked  clay,  encrusted  with 
a  coating  of  red  oxide  of  iron.  It  was  an  inch  and  a  half  long. 
It  came  up  in  the  sand  pump  through  the  heavy  iron  tubing,  six 
inches  in  diameter.J  See  Figs.  6  and  7.  "  The  high  degree  of 
art  displayed  is  noteworthy  and  the  proportions  are  perfect,  and 
there  is  a  pose  of  the  body  that  is  remarkable.  These  differentiate 
it  from  anything  that  has  been  found  among  the  relics  of  the 
Mound-builders." 

Another  discovery  was  the  so-called  "  fossil  foot-prints."  It 
was  made  by  Dr.  Earl  Flint,  of  Nicaragua.  The  "  foot-prints  " 
were  found  in  the  solid  tufa  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lake  Mana 
gua.  He  found  also  in  the  same  vicinity  a  cave  which  con 
tained  "  rock  inscriptions,"  some  of  them  in  the  shape  of  sun 
symbols.  His  theory  was  that  the  foot-prints  and  inscriptions 

*See  Popular  Science  Monthly,  July,  1K91,  p.  319. 

tSee  AMERICAN  ANTIQUARIAN,  Vol.  XI.,  No  6.  The  cuts  are  from  The  New  York 
Independent. 

tSee  proceedings  of  Boston  Natural  History  Society,  January,  1890,  Popular  Science 
Monthly,  July,  1891. 


PLATE  I.-FOSSIL  FOOT-PBINT  PBOM  NICABAGUA. 


EUROPEAN  PALEOLITHIC  CAVE  AT   GAILENREUTH. 


PLATE  II -AMERICAN  NEOLITHIC  CAVE  IN  COLORADO. 


were  made  at  a  very  ancient  date,  and  that  man  existed  as  early 
as  the  eocene  or  miocene.  Imprints  were  sent  to  Prof.  Baird, 
to  Dr.  D.  G.  Brinton  and  to  Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam  and  with  them 
specimens  of  the  shells  which  were  found  with  the  "foot-prints." 
See  Plate  I.  This  discovery  caused  considerable  discussion,  but 
Dr.  Brinton  and  others  took  the  ground  that  the  "tufa"  in 
which  the  foot-prints  were  imbedded  may  have  been  the  result  of 
an  eruption,  comparatively  recent,  and  that  the  shells  and  other 
associated  tokens  do  not  show  great  age.  The  claim  that  the 
Cave-dwellers  were  capable  of  marking  complicated  sun  symbols 
upon  the  rocks,  and  of  protecting  their  feet  with  sandals  as  they 
walked  over  the  tufas,  is  not  in  keeping  with  the  idea  of  great 
antiquity.  Certainly  man  who  was  associated  with  extinct  ani 
mals  was  not  likely  to  have  attained  to  any  such  advanced  state. 

II.  We  turn  next  to  the  Cave-dwellers.  It  is  due  to  the 
naturalist  Lund  that  the  discovery  of  Cave-dwellers  in  America 
was  made.  In  a  cave  excavated  in 
the  limestone  on  the  borders  of  a 
lake  in  the  province  of  Minas  Geraes, 
Brazil,  he  dug  out  the  bones  of 
more  than  thirty  individuals.  Mixed 
up  promiscuously  with  the  human 
remains  were  found  those  of  several 
animals  still  extant  in  the  same  re 
gion.  Pursuing  his  researches,  he 
explored  more  than  a  thousand 
caves,  but  in  only  six  of  them  did 
he  find  human  bones  associated 
with  extinct  animals.  He  succeeded 
in  gathering  complete  specimens  of 
forty-four  species  now  extinct,  in 
cluding  a  rodent  of  the  size  of  the 
tapir,  a  peccary  twice  as  large  as 
the  living  species;  a  megatherium, 
large  cat,  bigger  than  a  jaguar ;  a 
smilodon,  a  large  animal  akin  to  the 
saber  toothed  tiger ;  an  edentate 
of  the  size  of  the  tapir;  and  also  a  Fig. s.-Reiic from  cave. 
species  of  the  horse,  similar  to  our  own ;  a  llama  and  several 
monkeys.  Lund  claims  the  presence  of  man  on  the  American 
continent  from  very  remote  antiquity,  that  his  appearance  dated 
in  South  America  not  only  earlier  than  any  prehistoric  period, 
but  even  earlier  in  the  prehistoric  period  than  is  claimed  for 
man  in  Europe,  as  several  species  of  animals  have  disappeared 
from  the  fauna  since  his  advent.  Another  explorer,  Ameghino, 
also  tells  us  that  on  the  banks  of  the  little  stream  of  Frias, 
twenty  leagues  from  Buenos  Ayres,  he  met  with  human  fossils 
mixed  with  charcoal,  pottery,  burnt  and  scratched  bones,  arrow 


8 


heads,  chisels,  stone  knives,  together  with  a  number  of  bones  of 
extinct  animals  on  which  were  marks  of  chopping,  evidently 
done  by  the  hand  of  man.  Ameghino's  discoveries  led  to  long 
discussions.  Burmeister  rejected  the  theory  of  the  contem- 
poranity  of  man  and  mammals  whose  bones  were  found  to 
gether,  the  Argentine  Scientific  Society  even  refusing  to  listen  to 
a  memoir  upon  this  subject. 

A  discussion  has  arisen  about  the  caves  and  the  geological 
time  which  we  must  assign  to  the  upper  stratum  where  the 
human  bones  were  found.  Darwin  considers  it  recent,  Bur 
meister  assigns  it  to  the  quaternary,  while  Lund  thinks  they  are 
alluvial  deposits.  The  discoveries  in  North  America  are  no  less 


Figs.  9  and  10. — Paleolithic  Relics  from  Caves  in  France. 

curious,  though  we  accept  them  with  a  little  more  confidence.* 
See  Figs.  8.  9,  and  io.f  Here  the  Cave-dwellers,  so  far  as 
they  have  been  discovered  have  proved  to  be  comparatively 
modern.  There  are  no  examples  in  which  the  Cave-dwellers 
and  extinct  animals  were  associated.  A  great  contrast  exists  be 
tween  caves  in  North  America  and  those  in  Europe.  We  call 
attention  to  the  cut  (Plate  II)  which  represents  a  cave  at  Gailen- 
reuth.  in  Bavaria.  It  shows  how  the  bones  of  man  were  deposited 
by  the  floods  which  filled  the  caves  at  intervals  and  how  the 
stalagmites  gradually  accumulated  and  covered  over  the  layers 
of  bones  with  a  rocky  crust.  In  contrast  with  this  are  the  shelter 
caves  which  were  occupied  by  the  Cliff-dwellers.  In  them  were 
the  houses  of  the  people,  and  all  the  conveniences  for  permanent 
abode.  The  cuts  show  that  American  Cave-dwellers  were  neo 
lithic,  not  paleolithic.  Fig.  11. 

Caves  have  been  discovered  on  the  northwest  coast,  in  Cali 
fornia,  associated  with  kitchen  middens.  Shelter  caves  have 
been  discovered  near  the  Atlantic  coast.  One  of  them,  near 
Chickies,  Pa.,  has  been  described  by  S.  S.  Haldeman.  It  is  said 

*See  Nadaillac's  Prehistoric  American,  page  23.  Nott.  &  Gllddon,  page  350.  Arch 
ives  de  Museo  Nacional,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  1H76. 

tWe  give  a  few  cuts  of  the  relics  taken  from  the  caves  in  France.  These  are  de 
scribed  by  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  and  classed  with  the  Mousterien  epoch,  which  he 
regards  as  contemporary  with  the  glacial  period.  Another  relic  illustrates  the  Made- 
lefnien  epoch.  Phis  epoch  was  marked  by  the  presence  of  the  reindeer,  figures  of 
the  reindeer,  mammoth  and  cave- bear  having  been  found  engraved  on  tusk's,  deer's 
horns  and  flat  stones.  These  were  found  in  shelter  caves. 


9 


to  have  contained  many  rude  stone  relics  as  well  as  human  re 
mains.     Shelter  caves  have  been 
described  by  C.  C.  Baldwin  and 
M.   C.  Read,  as  found  at  Elyria 
and    Newbury,    Ohio.       These 
contain  many  bone  relics,  such 
as    awls,    needles,    chisels   and 
various  other  rude  articles.  They 
resemble  the  tools  used  by  the 
aborigines    and  can  ^hardly    be 
ascribed    to    an    ancient     race. 
They    illustrate,    however,    one 
point — that  the  condition  of  the 
Cave-dwellers  and  early  hunters 
has  been  perpetuated  among  the 
hunters  and  savages  of  this  con 
tinent.       The    absence    of   the    ^ 
bones  of  extinct  animals  as  well    ^ 
as  the  character   of  the   relics    *j* 
would  prove  that  they  were  com-    g> 
paratively  modern.    Col.  Charles    | 
Whittlesey  held  that  there  were    o 
three  races  in  Ohio,  the  first  be-   | 
ing  the  Mound-builders,  the  sec-    | 
ond  being  the  Cave-dwellers,  the    o- 
third   being   the    Indians ;     but    ^ 
Prof.  Read  held  that  there  was    | 
a    race    preceding  the    Mound-    § 
builders,    a    race    whose   skulls    ^ 
were  very  thick  and  of  a  low  type.   $; 
Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam  draws  a  dis-    b 
tinction  between  early   Mound-    s, 
builders  and  late  Indians,  assign-    1 
ing  to  the  latter  the  long,  narrow 
skulls  so  common,    but   to   the 
former  the  round  skulls,  and  con 
siders  that  these  were  of  South 
ern  origin. 

A  shelter  cave  was  discovered 
near  San  Jose,  in  California,  by 
Dr.  Stephen  Bowers.  It  con 
tained  a  number  of  baskets,  in 
which  were  bundles  of  painted, 
sticks,  covered  with  peculiar 
signs,  probably  the  outfit  of  a 
modern  "medicine  man."  Caves 
have  also  been  found  in  Utah, 
but  as  the  remains  of  man  were 


J0S& 


PLAN  OF 
"Mound  at 

DTJNEDIN^ 

Billsboro  Co, 


FIG.    2. 


11 

been  described  by  Mr.  Paul  Schumacher.  He  speaks  of  them 
as  divided  into  temporary  camps  and  regular  settlements,  the 
relics  in  the  "heaps"  varying  according  to  the  locality.  In 
Southern  California  "tons  of  flint  chips  are  found  scattered  about 
in  all  directions;  knives,  arrow-heads  and  spear- heads  in  large 
numbers.  There  were  graves  in  some  of  these,  and  painted  slabs 
placed  over  the  graves.  Cups,  ornaments,  shell-beads  and  cook 
ing  utensils  were  also  found.  Sandstone  mortars  of  large  size, 
with  pestles,  an  assortment  of  cups  of  serpentine,  spear-heads  of 
obsidian,  lance-points  of  chalcedony,  a  bronze  cup  filled  with 
red  paint,  corroded  iron  knives,  the  relics  all  showing  great 
variety  and  indicating  successive  periods  of  time,  the  last  period 
being  as  late  as  the  time  of  the  Spanish  occupation." 

There  are  shell  heaps  also  in  the  interior.  These  contain 
fresh  water  shells  and  illustrate  the  fact  that  the  natives  every 
where  gained  their  subsistence  from  the  waters.  We  may  take 
the  evidence  that  fishermen,  hunters,  agricultural  people  and  vil 
lagers  dwelt  in  various  localities  about  the  continent.  The 
theory  of  the  gradual  progress  of  mankind  is  demonstrated  here 
as  in  Europe.  The  American  races  stretched  from  the  Arctic 
Circle  to  Terra. del  Fuego,  but  a  great  variety  is  exhibited  by 
them.  It  is  a  question  whether  we  can  ascribe  to  them  aborig 
inal  unity  or  say  that  they  were  all  indigenous. 

V.  We  now  come  to  the  period  of  the  mammoth  and  the  mas 
todon.  There  is  a  mystery  about  this  period.  JThere  is  no 
doubt  that  these  animals  once  existed  on  this  continent  and  that 
they  may  have  been  contemporaneous  with  man.  It  is  not 
improbable  that  the  Mound-builders  were  acquainted  with  the 
mammoth.  In  the  "bottom  land"  of  the  Bourbouse  River, 
Gasconade  County,  Missouri,  Dr.  Koch  discovered  the  remains 
of  a  mastodon.  The  animal  had  sunk  in  the  mud  of  the  marshes, 
borne  down  by  its  own  weight,  and  being  unable  to  regain  its 
footing,  had  fallen  on  its  right  side.  Here  it  was  attacked  by 
aborigines,  who  threw  at  it  arrows,  stones  and  pieces  of  rock, 
and  succeeded  in  lighting  fires  around  it,  to  which  the  heaps  of 
cinders,  some  of  them  six  feet  high,  still  bore  witness.  Some 
of  the  rocks  weighed  no  less  than  twenty-five  pounds  and  had 
been  brought  from  a  great  distance.  The  following  year  he 
made  a  similar  discovery  in  Brinton  County,  Missouri.  Here, 
under  the  thigh  bone  of  a  mastodon,  he  found  an  arrow  of  pink 
quartz,  and  a  little  farther  off  he  found  four  other  arrows,  all  of 
which  had  been  shot  at  the  mastodon.  Unfortunately  Koch's 
want  of  scientific  knowledge  and  the  exaggerations  with  which 
he  accompanied  his  story  at  first,  threw  some  discredit  upon  the 
facts  themselves,  but  the  recent  discoveries  of  Dr.  Hughey  in 
Iowa  and  Nebraska,  and  by  the  author  in  Ohio,  have  now  con- 
,  firmed  them.  In  all  of  these  localities  the  bones  of  the  mastodon 
were  mixed  with  ashes,  traces  of  fire  and  arrow-heads  and  stone 


12 


weapons  were  in  close  proximity.  The  animals  in  all  cases  seem 
to  have  been  mired  in  the  peat  beds  and  attacked  by  the  men 
who  lived  in  prehistoric  times.  In  the  Davenport  Academy 
there  are  two  pipes  made  in  imitation  of  the  elephant  or  masto 
don.  One  of  these  pipes  is  said  to  have  been  taken  out  from 
the  depths  of  a  mound  in  Louisa  County,  Iowa.  A  German 
clergyman,  Rev.  A.  Blumer,  having  first  discovered  it,  handed 
it  to  Rev.  J.  E.  Gass,  his  companion  in  exploration.  It  is  un 
reasonable  to  doubt  the  genuineness  of  this  find,  even  if  the  re 
markable  discoveries 
which  were  made  by 
the  latter  gentleman 
have  been  discredited. 
A  second  elephant 
pipe  (Fig.  13),  which 
had  been  discovered 
in  a  corn-field  by  a 
German  farmer  by  the 
name  of  Myers,  after 
wards  came  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Gass. 
Three  celebrated  tab 
lets  were  discovered 
by  Mr.  Gass  in  the 
mound  on  the  Cook 
farm,  near  Davenport. 
On  one  of  these  tab 
lets  is  a  hunting  scene 
containing  thirty  fig 
ures  of  animals  and 
men,  the  animals  be 
ing  deer,  bear,  wolf 
and  fish,  and  one  of 
them  resembling  an 
elephant.  The  tablets 
have  not  been  re 
garded  as  genuine.  One  of  them  contains  a  cremation  scene, 
though  the  mounds  of  the  locality  give  no  trace  of  cremation 
having  been  practiced. 

We  shall  speak  next  of  the  salt  mines,  cypress  rafts,  peat 
swamps  and  other  places  where  mastodons  have  been  discovered' 
These  have  been  dwelt  upon  as  proving  extreme  antiquity,  but 
they  are  classed  together  here,  as  marking  one  period  of  time. 
During  the  late  rebellion  a  salt  mine  was  worked  on  Petite  Ansie 
Island.  A  fragment  of  matting  was  found  on  the  salt  fifteen  feet 
below  the  surface  of  the  soil.  Two  feet  below  were  the  remains 
of  tusks  and  bones  of  a  fossil  elephant.  The  matting  was  made 
of  the  common  southern  cane,  but  had  been  preserved  by  the 


Fig.  n.— Paleolithic  Axe. 


13 

salt.  Indescribable  quantities  of  pottery  were  thrown  out, 
mingled  with  the  remains  of  extinct  quadrupeds.  The  animals 
seem  to  have  been  bogged  and  perished  in  the  miry  clay  above 
the  salt.  This  locality  was  examined  by  Prof.  E.  W.  Hilgard 
and  Dr.  E.  Fontaine.  The  latter  maintains  that  the  soil  above 
them  was  quatenary,  belonging  to  the  bluff  formation,  overlying 
the  orange  sand.  Prof.  Hilgard  says  that  the  deposit  was 
washed  down  from  the  surrounding  hills,  but  that  mastodon 
bones  were  found  above  some  of  the  human  relics.  Dr.  Holmes 
in  1859  made  communication  to  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of 
Natural  Science,  in  which  he  described  the  fragments  of  pottery 
found  on  the  Ashley  River,  of  South  Carolina,  in  connection 


Fig.  IS.— Elephant  Pipe. 

with  the  bones  of  the  mastodon  and  negathirium,  both  of  them 
extinct  animals.  Mr.  E.  L.  Berthoud  claims  to  have  discovered 
a  complete  suite  of  stone  implements  in  tertiary  gravel  and 
coevil  with  it.  This  was  on  Crow  Creek,  Wyoming,  He  also 
claims  that  stone  heaps  and  circles,  flint  toois  and  weapons, 
marking  the  site  of  a  deserted  ancient  village,  totally  unlike 
modern  Indian  or  Mound-builders'  vestiges.  The  oldest  evi 
dences  do  not  show  traces  of  fire,  but  a  rude  barbarism  of  the 
first  attempts  of  art  lead  us  to  compare  them  to  the  rude  tools 
of  Abbeyville  in  France  and  the  implements  of  Kent  in  England. 
The  human  skeleton  excavated  at  the  depth  of  sixteen  ieet  from 
beneath  four  successive  layers  of  cypress  trees  in  the  delta  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  near  New  Orleans,  has  been  often  referred 
to.  Dr.  Dowler  claimed  three  epochs  for  the  delta;  first,  that  of 
the  grasses;  second,  that  of  the  lagoon;  third,  that  of  a  live  oak 
platform;  but  Dr.  J.  W.  Foster  says  what  he  regards  as  four 
buried  forests  may  be  nothing  more  than  driftwood  brought 
down  in  former  times. 

We  speak  of  these  uncertainties  about  the  relics  which  con 
tain  the  images  of  the  elephant   and  mastodon  because  they 


14 

illustrate  a  point.  There  are  no  hard  and  fast  lines  between  the 
earliest  age  of  the  appearance  of  man  and  the  different  epochs 
of  the  prehistoric  age.  The  mammoth  and  the  mastodon  came 
upon  the  stage  long  before  the  glacial  period.  Their  sway  is 
supposed  to  have  been  broken  by  the  convulsions  and  changes 
which  occurred  at  the  close  of  that  period.  Specimens  of  them 
may,  however,  have  survived  even  after  prehistoric  man  appeared. 
The  two  ages  overlapped  another.  In  the  same  way  the  historic 
and  prehistoric  ages  seemed  to  have  merged  together,  the  records 
of  the  two  being  mingled  the  one  into  the  other,  the  same  as  in 
Europe.  There  are  images  of  the  mastodon  inscribed  on  the 
bones  taken  from  the  caves  at  Dordogne,  showing  that  man  was 
there  contemporaneous  with  the  mastodon.  Immense  carcasses 
of  the  same  animal  have  also  been  found  frozen  into  the  mud 
in  Siberia,  and  so  excellently  preserved  that  the  dogs  fed  upon 
the  flesh.  Other  carcasses  have  been  seen  floating  in  the  waters 
of  the  Lena  River,  having  been  washed  out  from  their  long 
resting  place  by  a  flood.  It  is  supposed  that  from  the  same 
region  the  animals  whose  bodies  are  found  in  the  peat  swamps 
of  Missouri,  Michigan,  Ohio,  New  York,  and  as  far  south  as 
North  Carolina,  formerly  migrated,  taking  perhaps  the  same 
route  which  their  hunters  took  afterward,  when  they  came  into 
this  continent.  The  glacial  period  served  to  bury  the  majority 
of  them.  The  swamps  of  the  quaternary  age  furnished  their 
graves.  Uncertain  dates  are  brought  before  us  by  these  events. 
Man  also  came  in  at  an  uncertain  age.  We  can  not  fix  upon  the 
time  when  he  first  made  his  appearance. 


TEMIS 

STOCKADES 


HUNTERS 
\pORSHI 

\EF  ' 


HORTItULTURlSTS 
SUW  •-•MOON 


/.OCCUPATION, 


3.CHARACTERISTIC  \VORKS, 


SiT    THE   MDUND-BU1L&ERS. 


15 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

We  now  come  to  the  Mound-builders.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  people  called  Mound-builders  once  inhabited  the  interior 
of  North  America.  Who  this  people  were,  whence  they  came, 
whither  they  went,  are  among  the  unsolved  problems.  An  im 
penetrable  mystery  hangs  over  their  history.  All  that  we  know 
of  them  is  learned  from  their  structures,  works  and  relics.  To 
these  mute  witnesses  we  must  resort  if  we  are  to  learn  anything 
of  the  character  of  this  people.  The  first  inquiry  is,  Who  were 
the  Mound-builders?  This  question  will  probably  be  answered 
in  different  ways,  but  before  answering  it  we  shall  icfer  to  the 
points  involved  and  leave  it  for  our  readers  to  draw  their  own 
conclusions. 

We  take  up  the  division  of  the  Mound-builders  as  the  especial 
subject  of  this  chapter.  Let  us  first  consider  the  name,  however. 
The  name  "mound-builder"  is  a  general  one,  indicating  that  there 
was  once  a  people  who  were  accustomed  to  build  mounds.  In 
this  general  sense  there  is  much  significance  to  the  name,  in 
that  it  suggests  one  characteristic  or  custom  of  the  people. 
There  is,  however,  a  sense  in  which  the  word  is  used,  which 
makes  it  very  expressive,  for  it  furnishes  to  us  not  only  a  picture 
of  the  mounds  and  earth-works,  but  also  indicates  much  in  ref 
erence  to  the  people.  We  may  say  in  this  connection  that  there 
are  several  such  words  in  the  archaeological  vocabulary  which 
have  proved  equally  significant.  To  illustrate:  We  use  the 
words  "  cave-dweller,"  "cliff-dweller,"  "lake-dweller,"  signifying 
by  these  terms  not  merely  the  fact  that  those  people  once  lived 
in  caves  or  cliffs  or  above  lakes,  but  implying  also  that  they  had 
a  mode  of  life,  style  of  abode,  stages  of  progress,  which  were 
peculiar  and  distinct.  We  infer  from  this,  that  the  prehistoric 
age  was  divided  into  different  epochs,  and  that  each  epoch  was 
distinguished  by  a  different  class  of  structures.  This  interpre 
tation  may  need  to  be  modified,  for  there  are  certain  indications 
that  several  representatives  of  the  stone  age  may  have  been 


16 

temporaneous.  Still,  the  modes  of  life,  occupations  and  hab 
itations  were  the  result  of  location  and  of  physical  surroundings 
rather  than  of  "age"  or  stages  of  progress.  While  the  stone  age 
may  be  recognized  among  the  Mound-builders,  yet  a  subdivision 
of  that  age  into  epochs  may  be  a  safeguard  against  premature 
conclusions  and  unsafe  theories,  keeping  us  from  extreme  opin 
ions.  Our  readers  are  aware  that  the  Mound-builders  were  once 
supposed  to  have  been  a  remarkable  people,  and  allied  with  the 
historic  and  civilized  races,  but  that  latterly  the  opinion  has  gone 
to  the  other  extreme,  the  low  grade  and  rude  civilization  of  the 
wild  hunter  Indians  being  frequently  ascribed  to  the  entire  peo 
ple,  no  distinction  or  limitation  being  drawn  between  them.  We 
maintain,  however,  that  the  Mound-builders'  problem  has  not 
been  fully  solved,  and  that,  therefore,  it  is  premature  to  take  any 
decided  position  as  to  the  actual  character  and  condition  of  this 
mysterious  people.  All  that  we  can  do  is  to  set  forth  the  points 
which  we  suppose  have  been  established  and  leave  other  conclu 
sions  for  the  future. 

I.  The  place  where  the  works  of  the  Mound-builders  are  most 
numerous  is  the  Mississippi  Valley.  In  a  general  way  their 
habitat  may  be  bounded  by  the  great  geographical  features  of 
this  valley;  the  chain  of  great  lakes  to  the  north,  the  Alleghany 
mountains  on  the  east,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  south,  and 
the  Great  Desert  on  the  west.  Within  these  bounds,  mainly,  do 
we  find  the  structures  which  have  given  name  to  this  strange 
people;  and  we  may  describe  them  as  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley  who  built  mounds.  There  are  barrows 
or  mounds  in  Europe  and  in  Asia.  There  are  mounds  or  earth 
works  in  Honduras,  Yucatan  and  Central  America,  as  well  as  in 
Oregon  and  on  the  northwest  coast,  but  the  structures  in  this 
region  are  distinctive,  and  peculiar  to  the  inhabitants  who  dwelt 
here.  Nowhere  else  on  the  continent  are  they  found  in  such 
great  numbers.  Nowhere  else  are  they  found  so  exclusively 
free  from  the  presence  of  other  structures.  Nowhere  else  is  such 
a  variety  of  earthworks.  To  the  eastward,  along  the  coast  of  the 
Atlantic,  there  are  earth-works,  such  as  stockades,  fortifications 
and  village  enclosures.  To  the  westward,  beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains,  there  are  pueblos,  rock  fortresses  and  stone  structures. 
To  the  northward,  beyond  the  lakes,  there  are  occasionally  found 
walls  and  earth-works;  but  in  the  valley  ot  the  Mississippi  those 
structures  are  discovered  which  may  be  regarded  as  distinctive. 
The  peculiarities  which  distinguish  these  from  others,  aside  from 
their  being  exclusively  earthworks,  are,  first,  their  solidity;  sec 
ond,  their  massiveness,  and,  third,  their  peculiar  forms.  By  these 
means  the  works  of  the  Mound-builders  are  identified,  and  in 
their  own  territory,  wherever  a  structure  may  have  been  erected 
by  a  later  race,  it  may  be  known  by  the  absence  of  these  quali 
ties.  There  are  occasionally  earth-works  in  the  valley  of  the 


17 


MAP  OP  BURIAL  MOUNDS  NEAR  MUSCATINE. 


IS 


["     '    w  «    ACTION  of  IWEIVC  tuus   or  tut 

\;  SCIOTO    VAIAEr 

*"•"  '" 
-     /j  ANCIENT       MONUMtBIi 

"•<?{      fefisirUUej  tj  E.  G.  Syiiiet:  184  7. 


'. 


MAP  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  SCIOTO  VALLEY. 


19 

Mississippi,  especially  through  the  northern  part,  bordering  on 
the  lakes,  which  were  evidently  built  by  the  later  Indians.  Their 
resemblance,  however,  to  the  fortifications  east  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  and  the  evident  design  for  which  they  were  erected,  as 
defensive  or  village  enclosures,  the  unfailing  spring  attending 
them,  the  absence  of  any  religious  significance,  and  their  want  of 
solidity  and  massiveness,  help  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
works  of  the  Mound-builders. 

We  take  the  picture  presented  by  this  valley  and  find  it  strik 
ingly  adapted  to  the  use  of  a  class  of  people  who  were  partially 
civilized.  On  either  side  are  the  high  mountains,  constituting 
barriers  to  their  great  domain.  At  the  foot  of  the  western 
mountains  are  the  plateaus  or  table-lands,  which  have  formed 
from  time  immemorial  the  feeding  places  for  the  great  herds  of 
buffaloes.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  valley,  bordering  upon 
the  chain  of  the  great  lakes,  are  great  forests  abounding  with 
wild  animals  of  all  kinds,  which  must  have  been  the  hunting- 
grounds  of  this  obscure  people.  The  center  was  traversed  by 
the  Appalachian  range,  which  was  the  fit  abode  for  a  military 
class  of  people.  Along  the  lines  of  the  great  streams  were  the 
many  terraces,  forming  sites  upon  which  the  people  could  build 
their  villages,  and  yet  have  access  to  the  waters  which  flowed 
at  their  base.  Many  of  these  terraces  were  formed  by  the  gravel 
beds  left  by  the  great  glacial  sea  which  once  rested  upon  the 
northern  portion  of  the  valley  Below  the  terraces,  and  all  along 
the  borders  of  the  rivers,  were  the  rich  alluvial  bottom  lands 
which  so  favored  the  cultivation  of  maize  and  yielded  rich  return 
to  a  slight  amount  of  labor.  Broad  prairies  interspersed  with 
forests  and  groves,  and  traversed  by  numberless  streams  gave 
variety  to  the  scene.  It  was  a  region  built  on  a  grand  scale  and 
was  capable  of  supporting  a  numerous  and  industrious  popula 
tion.  We  may  suppose  that  the  Mound-builders,  when  they 
entered  it,  were  influenced  by  their  surroundings,  and  that  they 
soon  learned  its  resources.  We  can  not  look  upon  them  as 
merely  hunters  or  wild  savages,  but  a  people  who  were  capable 
of  filling  this  broad  domain  with  a  life  peculiar  to  themselves,  and 
yet  were  correlated  to  the  scene  in  which  they  were  placed. 

Here,  with  a  diversity  of  climate  an  abundance  of  products, 
the  people  led  a  varied  life.  They  were  to  gain  their  subsistence 
from  the  great  forests  and  from  the  wide  prairies,  and  were  to 
fill  them  with  their  activities.  A  river  system  which,  for  thou 
sands  of  miles,  drained  the  interior,  furnished  the  channels  for 
communication,  and  was  evidently  well  understood  by  this  peo 
ple.  A  vast  sedimentary  basin,  through  which  the  rivers  have 
worn  deep  channels,  leaving  table-lands,  cut  by  a  thousand 
ravines,  and  presenting  bluffs,  head-lands,  high  hills,  narrow 
isthmuses,  detached  island-like  cliffs,  in  some  cases  precipitous 
and  difficult  of  access,  furnished  many  places  on  which  this  peo- 


20 

pie  could  build  their  defenses,  covering  them  with  complicated 
works  resembling  the  citadels  of  the  Old  World,  beneath  which 
they  could  place  their  villages  and  dwell  in  safety. 

The  number  of  these  ancient  villages  is  well  calculated  to  ex 
cite  surprise.  Ten  thousand  burial  mounds  or  tombs  were  found 
in  the  single  State  of  Ohio,  and  also  a  thousand  or  fifteen  hun 
dred  enclosures  in  the  same  state.  Nor  is  their  magnitude  less 
a  matter  of  surprise  than  their  number.  Twenty  miles  of  em 
bankment  constitute  one  series  of  works.  Walls  sometimes 
thirty  feet  in  height,  and  enclosing  from  fifty  to  four  hundred 
acres,  surround  their  fortifications.  Pyramids  one  hundred  feet 
in  height,  covering  sixteen  acres  of  ground,  divided  into  wide 
terraces,  three  hundred  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide,  vying  with 
the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  formed  the  foundations  for  their  great 
houses.  Mounds  formed  their  lookout  stations,  sixty  and  ninety 
feet  in  height.  The  variety  of  their  works  was  great,  and  their 
distribution  widespread.  In  one  part  of  this  wide  domain  there 
were  game-drives,  in  which  the  animals  hunted  were  erected  in 
effigy.  In  another  part  were  garden  beds,  covering  hundreds  of 
acres,  and  presenting  many  curious  patterns ;  in  another,  large 
groups  and  lines  of  burial  mounds  ;  in  another,  many  circles  and 
fort-rings;  in  another,  lodge  circles  and  hut-rings;  in  another, 
village  circles  and  dance-rings,  interspersed  with  temple  plat 
forms  ;  in  another,  extensive  enclosures,  with  domiciliary  plat 
forms;  in  another,  groups  of  pyramids,  interspersed  with  fish 
ponds,  surrounded  by  earth-walls.  Everywhere  was  manifest  a 
wonderful  adaptation  of  the  works  to  the  soil  and  scenery  and 
physical  surroundings.  Different  grades  of  advancement  were 
exhibited,  but  at  the  same  time  great  activity  and  great  skill  in 
gaining  subsistence.  Every  spot  was  well  chosen  and  the  works 
-placed  upon  it  were  best  adapted  to  the  locality. 

II.  A  distinction  between  the  races  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
according  to  geographical  lines  is  to  be  noticed,  those  north  of 
the  great  lakes  being  generally  identified  with  later  tribes  of 
wild  hunter  Indians;  those  which  adjoin  the  lakes,  and  which 
extend  from  New  York  State  through  Northern  Ohio  to  Michi 
gan,  also  being  ascribed  to  a  military  people  resembling  the 
Iroquoisj  those  on  the  Ohio  to  a  class  of  villagers  who  were 
more  advanced  than  any  ordinary  Indians,  and  those  of  the 
Southern  States  to  a  class  of  pyramid-builders,  who  were  the 
most  advanced  of  all.  The  distinction  is,  however,  not  only 
geographical,  but  chronological,  for  there  are  relics  which  are 
as  strictly  military  among  the  villages  or  sacred  enclosures  as 
among  those  in  the  homes  of  the  warlike  Indians,  and  there  are 
tokens  in  the  midst  of  the  pyramids  which  indicate  that  modern 
hunters  have  roamed  among  the  agricultural  works,  and  that 
sun-worshipers  and  animal-worshipers  have  traversed  the  same 
regions. 


21 

A  simple  earth-wall,  running  around  the  brow  of  some  gentle 
declivity,  or  the  top  of  some  precipice,  or  on  the  edge  of  some 
isolated  island,  presents  a  very  different  aspect  from  those  struc 
tures  which  are  found  oftentimes  in  the  midst  of  large  and  fertile 
valleys,  or  upon  many  of  the  plats  of  ground  where  now  stand 
some  of  the  largest  cities  of  modern  days,  and  which,  for  mas- 
siveness  and  extent,  surprise  even  those  who  behold  them  in  the 
midst  ot  the  works  of  civilized  man.  These  earth-walls,  or  sc- 
called  stockades,  we  maintain,  were  the  works  of  the  later 
Indians,  and  can  be  easily  distinguished  from  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders  by  certain  unmistakable  evidences.  The  same  may  be 
said  also  of  the  relics  and  other  tokens.  They  may  be  found  in 
the  Mound-builders'  territory,  but  were,  many  of  them,  of  a  later 
date  and  of  a  ruder  character,  and  should  be  ascribed  to  a  differ 
ent  people  and  not  be  confined  to  one  date  or  race,  much  less 
to  the  so-called  modern  Indians  known  to  history. 

In  reference  to  this  point  we  may  say  that  the  evidences  are 
numerous  that  the  people  who  built  the  mounds  in  the  Missis 
sippi  Valley  belonged  to  different  races  and  occupied  the  country 
at  different  periods  and  may  have  come  from  different  sources. 

(i.)  The  traditions  of  the  Indians  prove  that  the  lands  have 
been  inhabited  by  different  races  and  at  different  periods.  These 
traditions  prevail  not  only  among  the  northern  Indians,  such  as 
the  Delawares,  the  Iroquois  and  the  Algonkins,  but  also  among 
the  southern  tribes,  such  as  the  Cherokees,  the  Creeks,  Choc- 
taws  and  Muskogees,  all  of  them  indicating  that  there  were  later 
migrations  and  that  other  races  were  in  the  valley  before  these 
tribes  reached  it.  The  traditions  of  some  of  the  Indians,  espe 
cially  those  of  the  south,  point  back  to  a  period  when  their 
ancestors  began  the  process  of  mound-building;  with  others  the 
traditions  point  to  a  time  when  they  began  to  occupy  the  mounds 
which  had  been  built  by  another  and  a  preceding  people.  No 
where,  however,  is  it  claimed  that  the  Indians  were  the  first  peo 
ple  who  occupied  the  country  or  that  their  ancestors  were  the 
first  race  who  built  mounds.  The  evidence  is  clear  that  among 
the  various  tribes  some  of  them,  in  the  course  of  the.ir  migrations, 
had  been  led  to  abandon  their  particular  mode  of  building  mounds 
and  had  adopted  the  mode  of  the  people  whose  territory  they 
invaded,  and  thus  the  same  class  of  structures  continued  under 
the  successive  races;  but  the  beginning  of  the  mound-building 
period  is  always  carried  back  indefinitely,  and  is  generally  as 
cribed  to  some  preceding  people. 

(2.)  The  relics  and  remains  prove  also  a  succession  of  races. 
This  is  an  important  point.  A  discussion  has  arisen  among 
archaeologists  as  to  who  the  Mound-builders  were,  and  the  idea 
has  been  conveyed  by  some  that  the  Mound-builders  were  to  be 
identified  with  this  or  that  tribe  which  occupied  the  region  at  the 
opening  of  history.  This,  however,  is  misleading.  It  limits  us 


22 


to  a  very  modern  period  and  serves  to  cut  off  investigation  into 
the  more  remote  ages  oi  the  mound-building  period. 

Our  position  is  that  many  of  the  mounds  contain  a  record  of 
successive  periods  of  occupation,  some  of  the  burial  mounds 
having  been  built  by  several  different  and  successive  tribes,  and 
the  layers  in  the  mounds  being  really  the  work  of  different  tribes. 
The  prehistoric  record  is  plain.  The  skulls  and  skeletons  found 
near  the  surface  we  may  regard  as  the  latest  tokens,  some  of 
them  being  quite  modern,  and  the  rude  relics  found  in  the  gravel 
beds  being  regarded  as  the  earliest  tokens;  but  the  mound-build 
ing  tokens  extended  through  a  long  period  of  time.  On  these 
points  we  give  the  testimony  of  the  various  gentlemen  who  have 
explored  these  mounds.  Prof.  Putnam  says:  "  In  the  great  Ohio 
Valley  we  have  found  places  of  contact  and  mixture  of  two 


Fig.  Ik- — Animal  Effigies. 

races  and  have  made  out  much  of  interest,  telling  of  conflict  and 
defeat,  of  the  conquered  and  the  conquerors.  The  long,  narrow- 
headed  people  from  the  north,  who  can  be  traced  from  the  Pacific 
to  the  Atlantic,  extending  down  both  coasts,  and  extending  their 
branches  towards  the  interior,  meeting  the  short-headed  and 
southern  race,  here  and  there.  Our  explorations  have  brought 
to  light  considerable  evidence  to  show  that  after  the  rivers  cut 
their  way  through  the  glacial  gravels  and  formed  their  present 
channels,  leaving  great  alluvial  plains  upon  their  borders,  a  race 
of  men,  with  short,  broad  heads,  reached  the  valley  from  the 
southwest.  Here  they  cultivated  the  land,  raised  crops  of  corn 
and  vegetables,  and  became  skilled  artisans  in  stone  and  their 
native  metals,  in  shell  and  terra-cotta,  making  weapons  and  or 
naments  and  utensils  of  various  kinds.  Here  were  their  places 
of  worship.  Here  were  their  towns,  often  surrounded  by  earth 
embankments,  their  fixed  places  for  burning  their  dead,  their 
altars  of  clay,  where  cremation  offerings,  ornaments,  by  thou 
sands  were  thrown  upon  the  fire.  Upon  the  hills  near  by  were 


23 

their  places  of  refuge  or  fortified  towns.  Preceding  these  were 
the  people  of  the  glacial  gravels.  The  implements  which  had 
been  lost  by  preglacial  men  have  been  found  in  the  Miami  Valley, 
as  in  the  Delaware  Valley.  This  would  seem  to  give  a  minimum 
antiquity  of  man's  existence  in  the  Ohio  Valley  from  eight  to 
ten  thousand  years.  From  the  time  when  man  was  the  con 
temporary  of  the  mastodon  and  mammoth  to  the  settlement  of 
the  region  by  our  own  race,  successive  peoples  have  inhabited 
this  valley."* 

III.  We  turn  to  the  division  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory. 
This  illustrates  several  things.  It  proves  that  the  Mound- 
builders  were,  as  we  have  said,  greatly  influenced  by  their  envi 
ronments  and  that  their  works  were  correlated  to  the  geographical 
district.  It  proves  also  that  there  was,  in  a  general  way,  a  cor 
respondence  between  the  Mound-builder  and  the  Indian,  as  differ 
ent  classes  of  earth-works  and  different  tribes  of  Indians  have 
been  found  in  locations  or  in  districts  whose  boundaries  were 


Fig.  15.— Burial  Mounds. 

remarkably  similar.  This,  to  some  minds,  would  prove  that  the 
Mound-builders  and  Indians  were  the  same  people;  but  if  we 
take  into  account  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races,  and  that 
each  race  was  equally  influenced  by  its  environment,  we  may 
conclude  that  the  effort  to  identify  the  later  with  the  earlier  peo 
ple  will  require  something  more  than  mere  geographical  division. 
Let  us  now  examine  the  earth-works  of  the  different  districts. 
(i.)  The  first  system  which  we  shall  mention  is  that  found  in  the 
State  of  Wisconsin,  a  State  abounding  with  emblematic  mounds. 
These  mounds  are  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  small  ter 
ritory  west  of  Lake  Michigan,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  south  of 
the  Fox  River  and  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Rock  River, 
though  a  few  have  been  found  in  Eastern  Iowa  and  Southern 
Minnesota,  on  the  land  immediately  adjoining  the  Mississippi 
River.  The  peculiarity  of  the  mounds  is  that  they  so  strangely 
resemble  the  forms  of  the  wild  animals  formerly  abounding  in 
the  territory.  Very  few,  if  any,  extralimital  animals  are  repre 
sented  in  them.  The  position  of  these  effigies  is  also  noticeable. 
They  are  generally  located  on  hill-tops  overlooking  the  beautiful 
streams  and  lakes  so  numerous  here.  The  attitudes  of  the  animals 

*Twenty-second  Report  Peabody  Museum,  page  53. 


24 


are  represented  by  the  effigies  and  the  habits  are  portrayed  by 
the  shapes  and  associations  of  these  earth-works.  See  Fig.  14. 
We  enter  this  district  and  find  a  remarkable  picture  of  animal 
life  as  it  existed  in  the  mound-building  period.  Elk  and  moose 
and  the  large  grazing  animals  are  portrayed  as  feeding;  panthers 
and  wolves  are  represented  as  fighting;  wild  geese,  wild  duck, 
eagles,  swallows  and  hawks  and  pigeons  as  flying  ;  squirrels, 
foxes,  coons,  as  playing  and  running;  lizards,  tadpoles,  snakes 
and  eels  as  crawling;  fish  and  turtles  as  swimming,  and  yet  all 
seem  to  have  an  indescribable  charm  about  them,  as  if  they  had 
been  portrayed  by  the  hand  of  a  superstitious  people. 

The  effigies  may  have  been  used  as  totems  by  the  people,  and 
thus  show  to  us  the  animal  divinities  which  were  worshiped  and 
the  animal  names  given  to  the  clans;  but  the  clans  and  the  ani 

mals  are  remarkably  correlated, 
the  names  of  the  very  animals 
which  prevailed  here  having 
been  borne  by  the  clans.  More 
than  this,  the  use  of  the  effigies 
as  protectors  to  villages,  as  aids 
to  the  hunters,  and  as  guardians 
to  graves,  furnish  an  additional 
picture  of  the  real  life  of  the  peo 
ple.  The  attitudes  of  the  ani 
mals  are  always  natural,  portray 
ing  habits  and  even  motions,  but 
a  condition  is  recognized  beyond 
mere  animal  condition. 

In  this  same  State  we  find  the 
copper  mines,  which  have  been 
worked,  and  the  tools  which  were  used,  by  the  ancient  miners. 
They  were  rude  contrivances,  and  yet  show  the  skill  of  the  natives 
in  overcoming  obstacles.  Without  knowledge  of  the  mechanical 
inventions  of  the  wheel  and  pulley,  without  the  art  of  smelting, 
or  even  of  molding  the  precious  metals,  the  Mound-builders  of 
this  region  succeeded  in  manufacturing  all  the  metal  tools  which 
were  necessary  for  their  purpose,  being  mostly  tools  used  by 
hunters,  such  as  knives,  spear-heads,  axes,  chisels,  awls,  needles 
and  a  few  ornamental  pieces.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  imi 
tative  art  was  expended  upon  the  effigies,  which  elsewhere  em 
bodied  itself  in  stone  relics  or  in  metal  ornaments. 

(2.)  The  second  district  is  the  one  characterized  by  burial 
mounds  or  ordinary  tumuli.  See  Fig.  15.  This  is  an  interesftng 
class  of  earth-works  and  may  be  designated  as  "prairie  mounds." 
They  are  situated,  to  be  sure,  on  the  banks  of  streams,  rivers, 
lakes,  marshes,  but  they  are  in  the  midst  ot  the  broad  prairie 
region  stretching  across  the  north  half  of  the  States  of  Indiana, 
Illinois,  all  of  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Dakota,  part  of  Kansas  and 


vi-Fort  at  Conneaut. 


25 


Missouri.  This  broad  expanse  of  territory  seemed  to  have  been 
occupied  by  tribes  of  Mound-builders  who  merely  erected  burial 
mounds,  but  who,  owing  to  their  unsettled,  migratory  habits,  did 
not  even  stop  to  build  walled  defenses  for  themselves ;  their 
works  consist  mainly  in  tumuli,  vast  numbers  of  which  are  found 
scattered  over  this  entire  region.  We  do  not  say  that  they  were 
entirely  destitute  of  defense,  for  there  are  occsaional  earth  walls 
which  show  that  there  were  permanent  villages,  but,  in  the  main, 
defense  must  have  been  secured  by  stockades  rather  than  by 
earth  walls.  Occasionally  there  are  ridges  or  converging  walls 
which  resemble  the  game-drives  of  Wisconsin,  and  these  furnish 
additional  proof  that  the  people  were  hunters.*  The  mounds 
occasionally  present  relics  reminding  us  of  the  hunting  habits  of 
the  peopie  who  erected  them. 
Pipes  in  the  shape  of  raccoons, 
prairie-dogs,  beavers,  turtles,  liz 
ards,  eagles,  hawks,  otters,  wild 
cats,  panthers,  prairie-chickens, 
ducks,  and  frogs,  show  that  they 
were  familiar  with  wild  ani 
mals.  The  relics  which  are  most 
numerous  are  spear-heads,  ar 
row-heads,  knives,  axes  and  such 
other  implements  as  would  be 
used  by  wild  hunters,  with  a  very 
considerable  number  of  copper 
implements — axes  or  celts,  awls,1 
knives,  needles,  and  occasionally 
specimens  of  woven  fiber,  which  Fig.  17.— Fort  at  weymoutn,  o. 
might  have  formed  the  clothing  for  a  rude  people,  and  a  few 
specimens  of  the  higher  works  of  art,  but  there  is  an  entire 
absence  of  the  symbols  found  in  the  mounds  of  the  south. 

(3.)  The  third  district  is  the  one  belonging  to  the  military 
class  of  Mound-builders.  This  district  formerly  abounded  in 
forests,  and  was  especially  adapted  to  warlike  races,  It  embraces 
the  region  situated  in  the  hill  coVmtry  of  New  York,f  Pennsyl 
vania  and  West  Virginia,  and  extends  along  the  banks  of  Lake 
Erie  into  the  State  of  Michigan.  See  Figs.  16  and  17. 

The  mode  of  life  in  these  regions  was  military.  It  was  a 
necessity  of  their  very  situation.  Here  was  the  effect  of  nature 
upon  the  state  of  society  which  was  inevitable.  These  works 
were  military  and  defensive,  as  from  the  nature  of  their  surround 
ings  they  must  be.  The  forests  gave  too  much  opportunity  for 


*They  are  generally  built  at  leading  points  along  the  shore  of  the  lakes  or  on  the 
banks  of  the  principal  streams,  and  are  found  as  far  apart  as  Manitoba  Lake  and 
the  Illinois  River.  We  call  them  buffalo  game-drives,  and  conclude  that  the  Mound- 
builders  of  this  district  were  buffalo  hunters.  See  Archaeological  Journal  for  1887, 
page  72;  Smithsonian  Report  for  1870;  also  our  book  on  Emblematic  Mounds. 

fSee  Aboriginal  Monuments  of  Western  New  York,  by  E.  G.  Squier;  also  Cheney 
and  Whittlesey's  pamphlets. 


26 


treachery  to  avoid  it.  Human  nature,  when  dwelling  in  such 
circumstances,  would  develop  in  this  way.  It  made  no  difference 
what  tribe  dwelt  there,  there  was  a  necessity  for  military  habits. 
We  can  picture  to  ourselves  exactly  the  condition  of  society. 
Whether  the  same  or  different  tribes  of  people  inhabited  these 
regions,  their  mode  of  life  was  certainly  dictated  by  circumstances. 
There  were  no  means  by  which  the  people  could  overrule  the 
forces  of  nature  and  gain  control  of  her  elements.  It  was  one 
of  the  peculiarities  of  prehistoric  society  that  it  was  conformed 
altogether  to  nature.  Civilization  alone  overrides  the  difficulties 
and  makes  the  forces  of  nature  obedient  to  her  wants.  We  call 
these  military  structures  comparatively  modern,  but  we  do  not 
know  how  long  they  continued  as  a  class.  If  there  were  those 

who  led  a  different  life 
they  were  probably 
located  in  the  valleys 
or  on  the  borders  of 
the  streams, just  where 
we  find  a  few  agri 
cultural  works.  But 
the  vast  majority  of 
works,  whether  very 
ancient  or  more  mod 
ern,  are  of  the  same 
class,  military  and  de 
fensive.  Over  300  mil 
itary  structures  are 
found  in  the  single  State  of  New  York.;  and  scattered  over  the 
mountains  of  Virginia  and  Eastern  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  and 
everywhere  where  the  hunting  life  and  the  warlike  and  predatory 
state  would  be  most  likely  to  prevail,  there  these  military  and 
defensive  structures  are  found. 

The  Iroquois,  the  Wyandots  and  the  Eries  were  warlike  peo 
ple.  The  Cherokees  were  also  warriors,  and  may  be  regarded  as 
the  mountain  tribes  of  the  east;  while  the  Delawares  and  some 
of  the  tribes  of  the  Algonkins  inhabiting  New  England  and  the 
northeastern  States  led  a  mingled  life,  partly  agricultural  and 
partly  hunting.  Thus  we  have  in  these  localities,  at  least,  a  cor 
respondence  between  the  state  of  the  population  and  the  physical 
surroundings. 

(4.)  The  fourth  district  is  the  one  most  worthy  of  notice.  It 
is  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  is  characterized  by  what 
have  been  called  "  sacred  enclosures."  We  have  given  them  the 
name  of  "  village  enclosures."  The  characteristic  works  of  the 
district  are  composed  of  the  square  and  two  circles  adjoined. 
See  Fig.  18.  These  were  evidently  the  village  sites  of  the  peo 
ple  who  dwelt  here  and  who  practiced  agriculture.  The  locations 
of  the  works  show  this.  Most  of  them  are  situated  on  the  sec- 


Fig.  IS.— Village  Enclosure  of  Ohio. 


27 

ond  terrace,  overlooking  the  rich  bottom  lands,  but  often  sur 
rounded  by  wide,  level  areas,  on  which  forests  trees  grew  to  a 
great  height.  On  the  hills  adjoining  these  village  sites  the 
conical  mounds  are  numerous.  These  are  regarded  as  lookout 
stations.  There  are  also  in  the  same  region  many  ancient  forts. 
Some  of  them  are  so  situated  as  to  give  the  idea  that  they  were 
places  of  refuge  for  the  villages. 

There  are,  in  the  same  region,  certain  enclosures,  which  con 
tain  groups  of  burial  mounds,  and  in  these  mounds  altars  have 
been  discovered,  on  which  have  been  deposited  large  quantities 
of  costly  relics,  in  the  shape  of  pearl  relics,  carved  pipes,  mica 
plates,  copper  spools,  arrow-heads  and  many  personal  ornaments. 
These  are  the  "sacred  enclosures"  which  have  given  name  to  the 
district.  In  this  district  there  are  several  truncated  pyramids  or 
platforms,  with  graded  ways  to  the  summits.  These  platforms 
have  been  called  "  temple  mounds".  The  idea  of  some  is,  that 
the  enclosures  were  places  of  religious  assembly,  resembling  in 
a  rude  way  the  ancient  Egyptian  temples.  At  Marietta  the  en 
closures  are  double.  Within  one  are  three  platforms,  and  from 
it  to  the  water's  edge,  or  to  the  bottom  land,  is  an  inclined  or 
graded  roadway,  guarded  by  high  banks  or  earth-works  on  either 
side.  At  the  other  end  of  the  group  is  the  high  lookout  mound, 
surrounded  by  a  circle,  and  a  ditch  within  the  circle.  The  group 
may  have  been  the  site  of  an  ancient  village,  or  it  may  be  called 
a  sacred  enclosure.  See  Frontispiece. 

(5.)  The  fifth  district  is  situated  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
extends  from  the  coast  to  the  Appalachian  range.  It  is  the  dis 
trict  through  which  various  Indian  tribes  have  migrated  and  left 
their  varied  tokens  beneath  the  soil.  Among  these  tribes  may 
be  mentioned  the  Powhattans,  the  Cherokees,  the  Catawbas,  the 
Tuscaroras,  and  a  stray  tribe  of  the  Dakotas.  It  is  marked  by 
no  ^particular  class  of  works  which  can  be  called  distinctive. 
There  are  in  it,  however,  various  circular  enclosures  containing 
conical  mounds,  resembling  those  in  the  fourth  district  These 
are  found  in  the  Kenawha  Valley.  Besides  these  are  the  remark 
able  circular  grave  pits,  containing  bee-hive  shaped  cists  made 
of  stone  found  in  North  Carolina,  There  are  conical  mounds 
in  the  district  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  foundations 
of  rotundas,  as  posts  for  the  support  of  rotundas  have  been  found 
on  the  summit.  The  southern  portion  of  the  district  is  filled 
with  shell  mounds  and  earth  pyramids.  Considerable  discussion 
has  been  had  as  to  whether  the  inhabitants  of  this  region  were 
the  Mound-builders  of  the  Ohio  district,  and  a  comparison  has 
been  drawn  between  the  altar  mounds  and  earth  circles  in  this 
district  and  those  in  Ohio,  both  having  been  ascribed  to  the 
Cherokees.  This  is  a  point,  however,  which  remains  to  be 
proved.  The  works  of  the  district  must  be  ascribed  to  the  dif 
ferent  races. 


28 


(6.)  We  now  come  to  the  sixth  district.  This  is  situated  south 
of  the  Ohio  River,  between  this  and  the  Cumberland  and  Ten 
nessee.  It  is  a  mountainous  and  woody  territory,  and  the  people 
who  formerly  dwelt  there  may  be  called  the  mountain  Mound- 
builders.  The  peculiarity  of  the  works  of  this  region  is  that  they 
are  mainly  fortified  villages.  They  are  to  be  distinguished,  how 
ever,  from  the  fortifications  of  the  third  district,  and  from  the 
villages  of  the  fourth  district,  by  the  fact  that  they  combine  the 
provisions  for  defense  and  for  permanent  residence  in  the  same 
enclosure.  The  village  enclosures  in  Ohio  are  double  or  triple, 
but  those  found  in  this  district  are  always  single.  Their  loca 
tions  show  that  they  were  chosen  for  defense,  but  their  contents 
show  that  they  were  used  for  places  of  permanent  abode.  They 
consist  largely  of  earth-walls  surrounding  enclosures,  within 


Fig.  W.—  Village  of  the  Stone  Grave  People. 

which  are  pyramidal,  domiciliary  and  burial  mounds,  all  of  which 
furnish  proofs  of  long  residence  The  custom  of  building  stone 
graves  and  depositing  relics  with  the  dead  was  common  here. 
Stone  graves  prevailed  in  many  localities — in  Illinois,  Southern 
Indiana,  Ohio  and  Northern  Georgia — but  were  especially  char 
acteristic  of  this  region.  See  Fig.  19. 

(7.)  There  is  a  district  adjoining  the  one  just  described,  which 
contains  mounds  and  earth-works  somewhat  similar.  The  region 
is  generally  swampy,  as  the  rivers  here  often  overflow  their 
banks  and  cover  the  whole  country  with  floods.  The  Mound- 
builders  dwelt  here  in  great  numbers,  and  built  their  villages  on 
the  sand  ridges  interspersed  between  the  overflowed  lands,  and 
made  their  way  out  as  best  they  could.  Their  villages,  however, 
were  large  and  numerous  and  showed  permanent  residence.  The 
peculiarity  of  the  earth-works  was  that  the  walls  surrounded 
enclosures,  within  which  were  pyramids,  conical  mounds  and 
many  lodge  circles.  We  may  call  it  the  district  of  lodge  circles. 
In  some  of  the  conical  mounds  there  have  been  found  large 


29 


quantities  of  pottery,  and  so  the  name  of  pottery-makers  might 
be  ascribed  to  the  people.  This  pottery  resembles  that  found  in 
the  stone  graves  and  near  the  Cahokia  mound,  but  is  regarded 
as  distinctive  of  this  region.  We  may  say  that  the  district  has 
been  occupied  by  the  Arkansas,  the  Kansas  and  Pani  Indians, 
branches  of  the  Dakotas,  but  it  is  unknown  to  what  class  the 
pottery-makers  belonged. 

(8.)  Intervening  between  these  two  district,  and  extending 
through  the  Gulf  States,  we  find  a  series  of  large  pyramidal 
mounds,  of  which  Cahokia  mound,  near  St.  Louis,  is  a  specimen. 
This  region  may  have  been  occupied  by  the  Natchez,  a  remark 
able  people  who  were  known  to 
have  been  sun-worshipers  and  pyr 
amid-builders.  Some  of  the  largest 
groups  of  pyramids  are  located  near 
the  City  of  Natchez,  the  place  which 
derived  its  name  from  the  tribe.  It 
is  a  region,  however,  where  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  branches 
of  the  Muscogees,  formerly  dwe[t. 
This  leaves  the  question  as  to  who 
the  builders  of  these  pyramids 
were,  still  in  uncertainty. 

The  pyramids  are  supposed  to 
have  been  occupied  by  the  chiefs, 
and  furnished  foundations  for  the 
great  houses  or  official  residences. 
They  are  situated,  however,  in  the 
midst  of  land  subject  to  overflow, 
and  have  been  explained  by  some 
as  being  places  of  refuge  for  the 
people  in  time  of  high  water. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  this  dis 
trict  there  is  a  class  of  works  which  differs  from  those  in  the 
western.  Here  we  see  the  elevated  platform,  and  along  with  it 
the  circular  mound  for  the  temples,  and  between  them  oftentimes 
the  chunky  yard  and  public  square,  the  usual  accompaniments 
of  a  native  village.  See  Fig.  20.  The  race  distinction  is 
manifest  in  this  form  of  structure,  and  nowhere  else  do  we  find 
it.  The  tribes  who  dwelt  in  this  region  were  the  Creeks,  a  branch 
of  the  Muscogees.  These  works  have  been  ascribed  to  the  Cher- 
okees,  who  were  located  in  the  mountains.  The  Cherokees, 
however,  maintain  that  they  migrated  to  the  region  and  took 
possession  of  the  works  which  the  Creeks  and  Muscogees  had 
erected.  They  also  maintain  that  their  ancestors  were  Cave- 
dwellers,  and  describe  the  caves  from  which  they  issued.  Dr. 
Cyrus  Thomas  holds  that  the  Shawnees  were  in  this  regign  in 
pre-Columbian  times,  and  refers  to  the  evidence  furnished  by 


Fig.  W. —Chunky  Yard. 


30 

the  relics  found  in  the  stone  graves,  and  especially  those  found 
in  the  Etovvah  mound  in  Georgia,  as  proof.  The  Shawnees  were, 
however,  late-comers,  belonging  to  the  Algonkin  stock,  a  stock 
marked  by  narrow  skulls.  They  were  preceded  by  the  Musco- 
gee  stock — a  people  with  broad  skulls.  It  was  a  tradition  among 
the  Muscogees  that  they  migrated  from  the  west  and  found  the 
country  occupied  before  them,  while  their  ancestors  issued  from 
a  sloping  hill  at  the  command  of  their  divinity,  who  stamped 
upon  its  summit,  and  erected  the  pole,  which  led  them  through 
their  wanderings.  In  reference  to  the  Gulf  States  Col.  C.  C. 
Jones,  who  has  written  a  book  upon  the  antiquity  of  the  Southern 
Indians,  says  that  the  tribes  were  only  occupying  works  which 
had  been  erected  by  a  preceding  and  different  class  of  people. 
"  Even  upon  a  cursory  examination  of  the  groups  of  mounds 
with  their  attendent  ditches,  earth  walls,  fish  preserves,  it  is 
difficult  to  resist  the  impression  that  they  are  the  remains  of  a 
people  more  patient  of  labor,  and  in  some  respects  superior  to 
the  nomadic  tribes  who,  within  the  memory  ot  the  whites,  cling 
around  and  devote  to  secondary  uses  these  long-deserted  monu 
ments."  This  remark  was  made  after  diligent  study  of  the 
writings  left  by  the  historian  of  De  Soto's  expedition  and  of 
Adair  and  Bartram  and  comparing  them  with  the  evidence  given 
by  the  monuments  themselves. 


31 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 

i 

One  of  the  first  questions  asked  of  the  archaeologists  concern 
ing  the  Mound-builders  is,  What  was  their  probable  age?  The 
question  is  a  very  natural  one,  but,  in  the  form  generally  given, 
exhibits  a  misunderstanding  of  the  general  subject.  It  implies 
that  the  Mound-builders  were  all  one  people,  and  that  they 
spread  over  the  continent  at  a  particular  and  definite  time.  We 
have  already  shown  that  there  were  many  classes  of  Mound- 
builders,  and  that  there  were  different  periods  of  time — a  succes 
sion  of  population  being  one  of  the  plainest  facts  brought  out 
by  archaeological  investigation.  The  answer  to  the  question  is 
to  be  secured  by  the  study  of  the  Mound-builders  as  they  ap 
peared  at  different  dates  in  the  mound-building  period.  The  age 
of  the  Mound-builders  includes  not  one  specific  date,  but  covers 
many  epochs. 

We  maintain  that  there  was  a  Mound-builders'  age  in  this 
country,  and  that  it  is  as  distinctive  as  was  the  neolithic  age  in 
Europe.  The  neolithic  age  was  founded  on  the  discovery  of 
a  certain  class  of  relics,  relics  which  had  a  certain  degree  of 
polish  and  finish  about  them;  the  material  of  the  relics  making 
the  age  distinctive.  The  bronze  age  was  founded  on  the  discov 
ery  of  bronze  relics  in  the  midst  of  neolithic  relics,  the  material 
and  finish  of  the  relics  making  them  distinctive  So  the  Mound- 
builders'  age  is  based  on  the  prevalence  of  the  earth  heaps  which 
contain  within  them  the  relics  of  a  prehistoric  race.  The  character 
of  the  relics  as  well  as  the  material  of  which  the  works  were 
composed,  makes  the  Mound-builders'  age  distinctive. 

I.  As  to  the  naming  of  these  periods  there  is  some  uncertainty, 
but  the  following  facts  may  help  us  to  appreciate  it.  In  Europe 
the. paleolithic  age  continued  after  the  close  of  the  glacial  period. 
It  began  with  the  gravel  beds,  and  embraced  all  the  relics  found 
in  those  beds,  extended  through  the  period  of  the  cave-dwelling, 
embraced  nearly  all  the  cave  contents;  it  reached  up  to  the  time 
of  the  kitchen  middens,  and  embraced  the  relics  found  in  the 
lower  layers.  It  is  divided  into  various  epochs,  which  are  named 
differently.  The  English  named  them  after  the  animals  asso 
ciated  with  the  relics,  into  the  epochs  of  the  cave-bear,  mammoth 
and  reindeer.  The  French  named  them  after  the  caves  in  which 
they  were  found,  making  the  name  of  the  caves  descriptive  of 
the  relics. 


32 

The  Chellean  relics  are  more  easily  distinguished  than  others, 
and  are  recognized  by  some  as  belonging  to  a  distinct  period, 
a  period  when  the  mammoth,  rhinoceros  and  cave-bear  prevailed 
in  Europe.  These  stand  alone  and  belong  to  an  earlier  geolog 
ical  period  than  the  rest  of  the  Cave-dwellers'  relics.  A  number  of 
objects  discovered  at  Moustier,  at  Solutre  and  at  La  Madeleine 
mark  a  second  and  a  third  period  of  the  paleolithic  age. 

In  America  the  paleolithic  age  preceded  the  neolithic,  as  in 
Europe.  It  may  be  divided  into  three  epochs:  i.  The  pre-glacial, 
the  epoch  in  which  the  relics  were  deposited  in  loess.  2.  The 


Scale  34  feet  to  the  inch. 
Fig.  l.—Elephajit  J\triyi/. 

glacial,  an  epoch  in  which  the  relics  were  deposited  in  gravel. 
3.  The  Champlain,  an  epoch  in  which  the  relics  were  deposited 
upon  the  summit  of  the  hills  and  above  the  glacial  gravels. 

The  American  archaeologists  name  them  after  the  character 
of  the  gravels  in  which  they  are  found,  as  well  as  the  character 
ot  the  relics.  It  may  be  said  that  the  subdivision  of  the 
paleolithic  age  in  America  has  not  been  fully  established.  There 
seems  to  be  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  French  and  English 
divisions. 


*Evidence  is  increasing  to  show  that  the  paleolithic  people  continued  after  the 
glacial  period,  as  flint  relics  which  are  chipped  so  as  to  make  tools  of  various  kinds, 
have  been  found  in  the  beds  of  the  water  courses  in  Iowa  and  elsewhere.  These  per- 
haps  should  be  assigned  to  the  Champlain  epoch.  They  were  followed  by  the  Cave- 
dwellers,  who  left  their  relics  and  remains  in  the  shelter  caves  of  Ohio,  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee,  and  other  localities.  Bone  implements  were  common  among  this 
people,  but  not  many  metal  relics.  The  shell  heaps  of  Florida  and  Maine  may  have 
oelonged  to  the  people  who  followed  the  Cave-dwellers.  The  people  who  left  the  flre 
beds  in  the  bottom  lands  of  Ohio  at  variouH  depths. below  the  surface  followed  the 
Cave-dwellers.  The  Mound-builders  came  in  about  this  time.  They  were  a  neolithic 
people,  and  were  probably  immigrants  from  some  other  country.  Four  lines  of  mi 
gration  have  been  recognized  among  the  Mound-builders:  One  from  the  northeast 
to  the  southwest;  another  from  the  northwest  to  the  southeast;  a  third  from  the 
southwest  to  the  northeast;  a  fourth  from  the  southeast,  north  and  west. 


33 

Naming  the  periods  after  the  animals  is  suitable  to  America, 
though  the  animals  would  be  different  from  those  in   Europe; 

In  Europe  the  cave-bear, 
mastodon  and  the  rein 
deer  made  three  epochs. 
In  America  the  megathe 
rium  found  in  Brazil.jthe 
mastodon  found  in  the 
gravel  beds  and  peat 
bogs,  and  the  buffalo, 
now  almost  extinct,  mark 
three  different  epochs.  In 
Europe,  the  paleolithic 
age  was  contained  within 
the  quartenary  period, 

and  came  to  an  end  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  geologic 
period.  It  was  followed  by  the  neolithic  age.  The  character 
istic  of  this  age  was  that  polished  stone  relics,  such  as  hatchets, 


Figs.  It,  5,  6  and  7.— Shell  Beads  from  Mounds. 

celts  and  finely-chipped  arrows,  spear-heads  and  a  fine  class  of 
pottery  aboun'ded.  Another  characteristic  was  that  mounds  were 
common.  Shell  heaps  marked  its  beginning,  chambered  mounds 
its  end.  The  bronze  age  followed  the  stone  age.  This  began 
with  the  lake-dwellings  and  continued 
through  the  time  of  the  rude  stone  monu 
ments,  and  up  to  the  historic  age.  Bronze 
was  the  material  which  characterized  the 
age,  a  material  which  was  not  made  in 
Europe,  but  was  brought  from  Asia  and 
was  re-cast.  No  less  than  fifty-seven  found 
ries  of  bronze  have  been  discovered  in 


Fiy.  8.— Bone  Needles. 


France  and  a  large  number  in  Italy;  one  at  Bologna  having  no 
less  than  14,000  pieces  broken  and  ready  for  casting.  The  hatchets 
were  cast  in  molds,  with  wings  for  holding  the  handle,  and  many 
of  them  with  sockets  and  eyes  by  which  they  could  be  lashed  to 


*Prof.  E  L.  Berthoud  discovered  a  number  of  obsidian  relics  on  the  Upper  Madison 
Fork  in  Idaho.  He  says  :  "I  have  gathered  some  very  characiaristic  obsidian  im 
plements  on  Lake  Henry  and  Snake  River,  which  I  transmit.  I  have  always  under 
stood  that  the  presence  of  obsidian  relics  in  Kansas,  Colorado,  Nebraska,  Wyoming 
and  Utah  was  due  to  the  probable  intercourse  of  the  Aztec  races  with  the  more 
northern  tribes.  I  am  now  satisfied  that  they  were  derived  from  the  Yellowstone 
and  Snake  Rivers,  rather  than  from  New  and  Old  Mexico.  In  the  National  Park 
Prof.  Hayden  found  a  gorge  in  the  mouutalns  which  was  almost  entirely  formed  of 
volcanic  glass;  they  have  aptly  named  it  'Obsidian  Canon'."—  Proceedings  of  Daven. 
port  Academy,  Vol.  Ill,  Part  II. 


34 

the  handle.  The  neolithic  age  in  America  began  with  the  close  of 
the  paleolithic  and  ended  with  the  historic  period.  The  polished 
stone  relics  found  in  the  auriferous  gravels  of  California,  such  as 
steatite  ollas,  mortars  and  pestles,  and  those  found  under  the  lava 
beds,  belong  to  this  age.  They  constitute  one  class  of  neolithic 
relics,  and  may  be  assigned  to  one  epoch  of  the  neolithic  age. 
We  maintain  that  the  Mound-builders  in  America  represented 
one  epoch,  perhaps  the  earliest  of  the  neolithic  age.  This  age 
began  some  time  after  the  glacial  period  and  ended  about  the 
time  of  the  advent  of  the  white  man,  but  embraced  about  all  the 
time  which  the  neolithic  age  occupied  in  Europe.  Nearly 

all  the  relics  found  in  the  Mis 
sissippi  Valley,  such  as  arrow 
heads,  spear-heads,  knives,  pol 
ished  stone  axes,  celts,  carved 
stone  pipes,  many  specimens  of 
pottery,  the  shell  gorgets  and  the 
drinking  vessels,  the  pieces  of 
copper,  ornamented  and  unorna- 
mented,  the  mica  plates,  many  of 
the  bone  implements,  the  needles 
and  awls,  the  silver  ornaments, 
and  the  few  specimens  of  gold* 
and  meteoric  iron,  belong  to  the 
Vase.  Mound-builders.  Neolithic  relics 

are  found  in  the  mounds;  though  some  of  them,  of  the  ruder 
class,  are  found  in  the  fire  beds  and  shelter-caves.  Specimens  of 
the  neolithic  age  are  picked  up  indiscriminately  upon  the  surface. 
The  aborigines  of  America  were  in  this  age.  The  cliff-dwellings 
and  pueblos  must  be  assigned  to  this  age.  They  constitute  a 
second  division,  the  Mound-builders  being  assigned  to  the  first. 
The  relics  of  the  Cliff-dwellers  are  not  much  in  advance  of  those 
of  the  Mound-builders,  but  their  houses  show  an  advanced  stage 
of  architecture.  A  third  division  of  the  neolithic  age  may  be 
recognized  among  the  civilized  races  of  Mexico  and  Central 
America,  though  these  are  by  some  archaeologists  ascribed  to 
the  bronze  age.  It  appears  that  the  division  of  the  neolithic  age 
in  America  corresponded  to  that  in  Europe  ;  the  Mound-builders, 
Cliff-dwellers  and  the  civilized  races  constitute  the  three  parts 
of  that  age,  as  the  barrows,  the  lake-dwellings  and  the  rude  stone 
monuments  did  in  Europe.  It  may  be  that  two  preceding  periods 
should  be  assigned  to  the  caves  and  fire  beds,  which  corres 
ponded  to  the  caves  and  kitchen  middens. f 

*Dr.  Charles  Ran  describes  a  gold  ornament  found  in  a  mound  in  Florida,  repre 
senting  the  bill  of  an  ivory  billed  woodpecker,  the  material  of  which  was  made  dur 
ing  the  second  period  of  Spanish  supremacy.  It  was  taken  from  the  center  of  the 
mound,  and  furnishes  evidence  that  Mound-building  was  continued  after  the  occu 
pation  by  Europeans.  Proi.  Jeffries  Wyman  has,  however,  spoken  of  the  remains  <>t 
the  great  auk  in  the  shell  mounds  of  Maine  and  the  absence  of  any  article  which 
was  derived  from  the  white  man.  See  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  J. 

tSome  of  the  shelter  caves  and  the  terraces  of  Ohio  seem  to  have  been  occupied|by 


35 


II.  The  part  which  the  Mound-builders  performed  in  connec 
tion  with  the  neolithic  age.  The  Mound-builders,  in  a  technical 
sense,  are  to  be  confined  to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  There  are, 
to  be  sure,  many  mounds  and  earth-works  on  the  northwest 
coast,  others  in  Utah,  and  still  others  scattered  among  the  civil 
ized  races  in  Mexico,  but  the  Mound-builders  as  such  were  the 
inhabitants  of  this  valley.  We  shall  see  the  extent  of  their 
territory  if  we  take  the  mounds  of  the  Red  River  Valley  as  one 
stream  and  follow  the  line  across  the  different  districts  until  we 
reach  the  mounds  of  Florida.  This  is  the  length  of  their  terri 
tory  north  and  south;  the  breadth  could  be  indicated  by  the 
Allegheny  mountains  upon  the  east  and  the  foot-hills  of  the 
Rocky  mountains  upon  the  we$t,  for  all  this  range  of  territory 


fig.  10.— Hoes  from  Tennessee. 

belonged  to  the  Mound-builders.  Within  this  territory  we  have 
the  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior,1  the  salt  mines  of  Illinois 
and  Kentucky,2  the  garden  beds  of  Michigan,3  the  pipe-stone 
quarries  of  Minnesota,4  the  extensive  potteries  of  Missouri,5  the 
stone  graves  of  Illinois,6  the  work-shops,  the  stone  cairns,  the 
stone  walls,  the  ancient  roadways,  and  the  old  walled  towns  of 
Georgia,7  the  hut  rings  of  Arkansas,8  the  shelter-caves  of  Ten 
nessee  and  Ohio,9  the  mica  mines  in  South  Carolina,10  the  quar 
ries  in  Flint  Ridge  in  Ohio,11  the  ancient  hearths  ot  Ohio,12  the 
bone  beds13  and  alabaster  caves  in  Indiana,14  the  shell-heaps 
of  Florida,15  oil  wells  and  ancient  mines,  and  the  rock  inscrip 
tions16  which  are  scattered  over  the  territory  everywhere. 

We  ascribe  all  of  these  to  the  Mound-builders  and  conclude 
that  they  were  worked  by  this  people,  for  the  relics  from  the 


a  rude  people,  whose  remains  are  buried  in  the  debris,  for  layers  ef  ashes  have  been 
found  having  great  depths.  The  fire  beds  and  stone  graves  have  been  found  at 
various  depths  beneath  the  river  bottoms.— Miami  Gazette.  Jan.  20, 1892.  See  Smith 
sonian  Report,  1874.  R.  S.  Robinson;  Peabody  Museum,  8th  Report,  F.  W.  Putnam. 
The  Mammoth  cave  and  other  deep  caves  have  yielded  mummies  and  other  remains 
which  may  have  belonged  to  this  antecedent  period.— Collins'  History  of  Kentucky. 

The  great  auk,  Prof.  Wyman  says,  survived  until  after  the  arrival  of  the  Euro 
peans.  Pottery  is  poorly  represented;  ornamentation  is  of  the  rudest  kind;  the 
shell  heaps  yielded  lew  articles  of  stone;  implements  of  stone  are  common  in  Flor 
ida.  A  domesticated  animal  was  found  with  eatables. 

1  See  Foster's  Prehistoric  Races,  p.  265.  2  Ibid.,  p.  249.  3  See  American  Antiquar 
ian,  Vols.  I  and  VII  4  Geol.  Rep,  of  Minnesota,  Vol.  I,  pp.  151  and  555.  5  See  Prof. 
Swallow's  article,  Peabody  Museum,  8th  rep.,  and  Arch,  of  Mo.,  1880.  6  See  Sm.  Rep. 
1866.  7  See  C.  C,  Jones  and  James  Mooney's  9th  An.  Rep.  of  Eth.  Bu.,  also  Am. 
Anthro.,  Vol.  II,  p.  241.  See  Am.  Ant.,  Vol.  XIII  No.  6.,  H.  S.  Halbert.  8  See  Palmer 
in  Eth.  Bu.,  9th  An.  Rep.  of  A.  A.,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  271,  in  Iowa.  9  See  Robinsin's  article, 
Sm.  Rep.,  1874,  p.  367;  A.  A.,  Vol.  II,rp.  203.  10  See  Report  by  James  Mooney,  9th  An. 
Eth.  Bu.  Rep.;  12th  Rep.  Pea.  Museum.  11  SeeAmerican  Antiquarian,  Vol.  II,  p.  95. 
12  Ibid.,  Vol.  VI,  p.  101.  13  Ibid.,  Vol.  VIII,  p,  65.  14  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.  15  Ibid.,  Vol. 
II,  p.  257.  16  Ibid.,  Vol.  XI,  J.  S.  Newberry,  p.  165. 


36 


mines  and  quarries  are  found  in  the  mounds.  Besides  these  relics 
we  find  others  which  were  received  by  aboriginal  trade ;  obsidian 
knives  and  arrows  (see  Figs.  2  and  3)  from  Idaho;  jade  axes 
from  an  unknown  source,  carved  specimens  which  seem  to  have 
come  from  Mexico;  shells*  and  wampum  (Figs.  4  to  7)  from  the 
gult  of  Mexico;  specimens  of  art  which  show  connection  with  the 
northwest  coast  and  carved  pipes  which  show  familiarity  with 
animals  and  birds  from  the  central  provinces.  The  Mound- 
builders  were  the  chief  representatives  of  the  neolithic  age,  vying 
with  the  Cliff-dwellers  in  a  grade  of  civilization,  but  having  a 
much  more  varied  culture  than  they.  Their  territory  extended 
over  more  land  than  any  other  class  of  people  known  to  the  pre 
historic  age,  and  their  art  presents  more  variety  than  any  other 
class. 

The  cuts  represent  the  character  of  the  relics  taken  from  the 
mounds.  The  pottery  vase  (Fig.  9)  is  trom  a  mound  in  Michi 
gan  and  shows  the  high  stage  of  art  reached  there.  The  hoes 

and  sickles  (Figs,  10  and 
i  i)  are  from  mounds  in 
Tennessee  and  show  the 
agricultural  character  of 
the  people.  The  banner 
stone  and  silver  orna 
ment  (Figs.  12,  13  and 
14)  are  from  mounds  in 
Florida.  A.  E.  Doug 
lass  thinks  the  silver  or 
nament  was  modern.  We 
place  these  cuts  along- 
side  of  the  elephant  pipes 
and  other  relics  to  show 
the  length  of  the  age 
of  the  Mound-builders.  Some  of  them  were  evidently  quite 
ancient  and  others  were  very  modern. 

III.  As  to  the  antiquity  of  the  Mound-builders,  we  may  say 
that  dates  are  always  difficult  to  fix.  We  can  not  give  them 
definitely.  We  imagine  that  the  Mound-builders  were  the  first 
people  who  occupied  the  territory  after  the  close  of  the  glacial 
period,  that  they  followed  hard  on  to  the  paleolithic  people,  that 
no  other  race  intervened.  This  is,  however,  a  matter  of  conjec 
ture.  Our  reasons  for  holding  this  are  as  follows:  i.  The 
appearance  of  the  mastodon  and  mammoth.  We  contend  that 

*W.  H.  Pratt  has  described  worked  shells  from  Calhoun  County,  Illinois,  also  shell 
beads  from  mounds  at  Albany  (Figs.  4,  5  and  6),  and  wampum  from  mounds  in 
Florida  (Fig.  7),  which  he  thinks  were  used  as  currency,  giving  the  idea  that  wam 
pum  existed  in  the  Mound-builders'  time;  others  think  wampum  was  introduced  by 
the  white  man.  The  value  of  the  beads  was  owing  more  to  the  work  placed  upon 
them  than  to  the  rarity  of  the  shells.  Copper  beads  found  in  the  mounds  at  Daven 
port  contained  the  cord  upon  which  they  were  strung.  This  would  indicate  that  the 
beads  were  somewhat  recent. 


Fig.  11.— Sickles  from  Tennessee. 


37 


these  animals  and  the  Mound-builders  were  contemporaneous. 
The  only  age  which  intervened  between  the  glacial  period  and 
the  Mound-builder's  period  is  to  be  called  the  mastodon's  age. 
We  are  ready  to  acknowledge  that  a  long  time  must  have  elapsed 
between  the  glacial  age  and  the  Mound-builders,  but  in  the  ab 
sence  of  proof  that  any  other  inhabitants  occupied  the  territory 
we  ascribe  the  time  or  period  to  the  mastodon  and  mammoth. 
The  paleolithic  people  may  indeed  have  survived  the  glacial 
period  and  been  also  contemporaneous  with  the  mastodon,  the 
real  age  of  the  mammoth  and  mastodon  covering  the  whole  of 
the  paleolithic  age  and  overlapping  the  Mound-builders,  the 
first  being  the  age  in  which 
tne  mastodon  was  numerous. 
Certain  writers  have  denied 
this,  and  have  argued  that  so 
long  an  interval  of  time  elapsed 
between  the  Mound-builders 
and  the  close  of  the  glacial  age 
that  the  mastodon  disappeared 
altogether,  that  the  buffalo 
was  the  animal  which  was 
distinctive  of  the  Mound- 
builder's  age,  and  the  masto 
don  was  the  animal  distinctive 
of  the  paleolithic  age.  Their 
arguments  are  as  follows:  The 
forests  which  have  spread  over 
the  northern  half  of  the 
Mound-builders'  territory  are 
in  places  very  dense.  During 
the  glacial  period  this  region 
was  covered  by  a  sea  of  ice,  the  Fig'  12- 
ground  must  needs  settle  and  be  covered  with  alluvial  before  the 
forests  would  grow.  The  forests  could  only  gradually  appear,  the 
distribution  of  seeds  and  the  springing  up  of  the  saplings  being 
a  slow  process.  Another  argument  is  taken  from  analogy.  In 
Europe  the  period  of  the  gravel  beds  was  supposed  to  be  the 
same  as  the  glacial  period  and  marked  the  beginning  of  the  pale 
olithic  age.  There  were,  however,  between  the  gravel  beds  and 
the  age  of  the  barrows  three  or  four  different  epochs — the  cave- 
dwellers,  the  people  of  the  kitchen  middens  and  the  lake-dwellers 
— the  progress  having  been  gradual  between  the  periods.*  In 


*Col.  Whitllesey  speak  of  three  periods:  The  early  drift  period  which  belonged  to 
primitive  man;  the  period  of  the  Mound-builders,  whose  antipuity  is  from  four  to 
five  thousand  years,  with  slight  evidence  of  an  intervening  race  between  the  Mound- 
builders  and  primitive  man;  and  the  period  of  the  red  man.  The  evidence  of  man 
more  ancient  than  the  Mound-builders  he  finds  in  the  fluviatile  deposits,  which  were 
above  the  fire  beds  on  the  Ohio  river,  to  the  depth  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  The  same 
evidence  is  given  by  Prof.  Putnam.— Article  read  before  the  American  Association  in 
Chicago,  1868. 


38 


America  the  change  was  more  sudden,  for  the  tokens  which  are 
found  in  the  auriferous  gravels  are  much  more  advanced  than 
any  found  in  the  gravel  beds  of  Europe. 
They  correspond  to  the  relics  of  the  lake- 
dwellers  and  the  barrows.  The  Mound- 
builders'  relics  are  also  much  more  advanced 
than  those  of  the  gravel  beds  in  the  same 
territory,  and  the  supposition  is  that  there 
must  have  been  either  an  intervening  period 
in  which  mound-building  was  not  prac 
ticed,  or  that  there  was  an  immigration  of 
the  Mound-builders  into  this  territory  from 
some  other  part.  We  acknowledge  that 
there  are  some  facts  which  favor  this  sup 
position  or  idea  that  there  were  inhabitants 
intervening  between  the  rude  paleolithic 
people  and  advanced  Mound-builders  who- 
corresponded  to  the  people  of  the  kitchen 
middens  and  to  the  early  lake-dwellers. 

Fig.  IS.-Silver  Ornament*  possibly  we  shall  find  that  the  fire  beds  of  the 

interior  and  the  kitchen  middens  of  the  sea  coast  were  deposited 
during  this  period,  and  the  divisions  of  time  may  be  identified  by 
these  tokens.    We  maintain  that  the  close  of 
the  glacial  period  was  not  so   sudden  as 
some  imagine.     There  may  have  been  a 
littoral   class   of   fishermen   who  were  the 
occupants  before  the  close  of  this  period. 
They  followed  aftertheiceas  it  disappeared, 
leaving  their  shell  heaps  on  the  coast  and 
their  fire  beds  in  the  interior.     In  favor  of 
this  we  may  mention  the  fact  that  the  tooth    J 
of  a  polar  bear  and  the  bones  of  the  auk,  B 
both  of  which  are  animals  that  occupy  the 
arctic   regions   and   inhabit  the   ice   fields, 
have  been  found   in  a  shell  heap  on  the    \ 
coast  of    Maine,  thus  proving  that  there  ^ 
were  inhabitants  when  the  ice  reached  as  \ 
far  south  as  that  point.     The  mastodon  evi 
dently  inhabited  the  country  long  before  the 
glacial  period.     It  survived  that  period  and  Fig'  H-**"  ornament. 
may  have  existed  during  the  time  the  land  was  becoming  settled 


*Mr.  Geo.  F.  Kunz  has  described  a  gold  object  resembling  a  shield,  taken  from  a 
mound  in  Florida,  an  ear  disc  of  silver,  a  triangular  silver  ornament,  a  flat  bar  of 
silver,  all  taken  from  mounds  in  Florida,  Mr.  Douglas  has  spoken  ol  circular  plates 
from  Halifax  river-  Col.  C.  C.  Jones  of  silver  beads,  not  European,  from  Etowah  val 
ley.  Mr.  Douglas  thinks  that  the  silver  specimens  were  taken  from  wrecked,  vessels 
after  the  discovery,  and  reters  to  a  specimen  found  on  an  island  near  Florida,  which 
has  the  marks  of  modern  wormanshlp  upon  it.  The  etchings  of  the  cross  orbis 
mundi  and  the  heart  may  be  attributed  to  the  Spanish  priests,  though  the  moons  on 
the  opposite  side  were  native  symbols.  He  says  that  the  four  ornaments  described 
by  Mr.  Kunz  were  associated  with  European  manufacture.  See  American  Antiquar 
ian,  Vol.  IX,  page  219. 


39 

and  until  it  was  covered  with  forests  and  became  inhabited  by 
wild  tribes.  During  this  time  the  peat  beds  and  the  swamps 
were  their  favorite  resorts;  many  of  them  became  mired  in  the 
swamps  and  were  attacked  by  the  natives.  These  natives  were 
acquainted  with  fire,  and  used  rude  stone  implements — arrows 
and  spear  heads.  As  the  mastodon  retreated  northward  the 
hunters  also  migrated  and  became  the  denizens  of  the  forests  of 
the  northern  districts.  This  accounts  for  the  scarcity  of  images 
of  the  elephant  and  mastodon  among  the  southern  Mound- 
builders,  and  for  the  images  of  the  same  animals  among  the 
northern  Mound-builders. 

"" We  have  mentioned  the  find  of  Dr.  Koch  of  the  mastodon  in 
the  Gasconade  swamp  of  Missouri.  This  was  an  important  find. 
Dr.  Koch  says  there  were  remains  of  fire-stones  and  arrow-heads 
near  the  bones,  showing  that  the  animal  had  been  hunted  by  the 


Fig.  15.— Nondescript  Animal  from  the  Mounds  * 

people  then  living.  Dr.  Koch  made  the  statement  that  this 
animal  was  capable  of  feeding  itself  with  its  fore-feet,  after  the 
manner  of  the  beaver  or  otter.  This  statement  was  doubted  at 
the  time,  and  seemed  to  cast  discredit  upon  the  entire  find.  It 
now  proves  very  important.  In  a  late  number  of  the  Scientific 
American  is  a  description  of  the  Newberg  mastodon,  in  which 
this  very  peculiarity  is  noticed  .f  The  writer  says:  "  The  most 
important  comparison  is  in  the  aspect  of  the  fore-limbs.  In  the 
elephant  the  fore-limbs  are  columnar,  as  are  the  hind-limbs.  In 
the  mastodon  there  is  a  decided  aspect,  more  or  less,  of  prehen 
sile  capacity  (as  it  were),  that  is,  the  latter  have  the  fore-feet 
approaching  the  plantigrade  in  aspect,  and  were  correspondingly 
adapted  for  pronation.  Of  course  this  is  slight,  but  it  shows  the 
difference  in  probable  habits.  The  fore-limbs  of  the  mastodon 
with  such  development,  we  should  expect,  would  be  able  to  be 
thrown  over  the  low  foliage  or  brush-wood,  and  a  crushing 
effected  by  the  somewhat  expanded  manus.  No  such  movement 
could  be  effected  by  elephas.  As  much  as  we  naturally  compare 


*The  animal  contained  in  the  cut,  with  a  bill  resembling  a  duck,  was  found  by 
a  farmer  while  plowing  over  Mound  No  3.  It  is  a  natural  sandstone  concretion 
fastened  upon  a  thin  piece  of  light-brown  flint.  The  eyes  are  of  quartz,  fastened  on 
with  some  kind  of  cement.  They  give  a  fierce  look  to  the  creature. 

fSee  Scientific  American,  January,  1892,  article  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Holden. 


40 


the  two  great  creatures,  and  especially  as  both  have  similar  nasal 
development,  a  near  view  of  both  together  shows  many  differ 
ences  in  form.." 

2.  The  survival  of  the  mastodon.  J.  B.  Holden  says:  "In  nearly 
every  State  west  of  New  England  portions  of  this  creature  have 
been  disinterred.  And  every  year  there  are  several  found,  more 
or  less  in  a  state  of  complete  preservation.  The  circumstance 
of  several  skeletons  having  about  them  evidence  of  man's  work 
is  extremely  interesting.*  On  one  account,  it  brings  the  date, 

though  greatly  indefinite,  to  man's  exist 
ence.  We  are  therefore  able  to  say  man 
and  mastodon  are  contemporaneous.  We 
have  not  determined  what  sort  of  man 
made  those  stone  arrow-heads  which 
struck  the  life  out  from  the  great  carcasses 
and  lie  among  their  remains.  We  have 
not  a  knowledge  of  what  sort  of  man 
made  the  charcoal  which  was  found  lying 
among  the  partly  burned  bones  of  a 
mastodon,  but  we  do  know  that  some 
man  made  the  arrow-heads.  And  we 
know  also  that  no  other  than  man  is 
capable  of  making  charcoal,  or  even  to 
make  fire  by  which  it  is  formed." 

Prof.  Barton,  of  the  University  of  Penn 
sylvania,  discovered  the  bones  of  a  mas 
todon  at  a  depth  of  six  feet,  and  in  the 
stomach  of  the  animal  he  feund  a  mass 
of  vegetable  matter,  composed  of  leaves 
and  branches,  among  which  was  a  rush, 

now  common  in  Virginia.  Winchell  says:  "The  ancient  lakelets 
of  Michigan  enclose  numerous  remains  of  the  mastodon  and 
mammoth,  but  they  are  sometimes  so  near  the  surface  that  one 
could  believe  them  to  have  been  buried  within  500  years.  The 
mastodon  found  near  Tecumseh  lay  but  two  feet  and  a  half  be 
neath  the  surface.  The  Adrian  mastodon  was  buried  about  three 
feet.  The  Newberg  (New  York)  mastodon  just  beneath  the  soil 
in  a  small  pool  of  water." 

Prof.  Samuel  Lockwood,  of  Freehold,  New  Jersey,  has  spoken 
of  the  life  range  of  the  mastodon.  He  has  shown  that  this  ani 
mal  was  living  at  a  period  well  up  into  the  recent  geologic  time. 
It  came  in  with  the  great  extinct  fossil-beaver,  which  it  outlived, 
and  became  contemporary  with  the  modern  beaver.  It  lived  to 
be  contemporary  with  the  American  aboriginal  men  and  probably 
melted  away  before  the  presence  of  man.  Prof.  Lockwood  dis- 


*The  two  pipes  which  have  been  found  and  which  are  now  in  the  Davenport  Acad 
emy,  may  leprost'iit  th<-  two  classes  of  animals;  the  one  Mastodon  Giganteus,  the 
Elephas  Prlmlgenlui,  it  so,  they  are  all  valuable  finds. 


41 

covered  a  mastodon  in  a  beat  bog,  near  by  a  fossil-beaver  dam,  in 
such  circumstances  as  led  him  to  suspect  that  the  mastodon  had 
been  actually  buried  by  the  beavers.* 

Prof.  Shaler  says:  "Almost  any  swampy  bit  of  ground  in 
Ohio  or  Kentucky  contains  traces  of  the  mammoth  or  mastodon. 
The  fragments  of  wood  which  one  finds  beneath  their  bones 
seem  to  be  of  the  common  species  of  existing  trees,  and  the 
reeds  and  other  swamp-plants  which  are  embedded  with  their 
remains  are  apparently  the  same  as  those  which  now  spring  in 
the  soil.  They  fed  upon  a  vegetation  not  materially  different 
from  that  now  existing  in  the  region. f  Prof.  Hall  says:  "Of 
the  very  recent  existence  of  this  animal  there  seems  to  be  no 
doubt.  The  marl  beds  and  muck  swamps,  where  these  remains 
occur,  are  the  most  recent  of  all  superficial  accumulations. 


Fig.  17.— Elephant  Pipe,  found  in  a  Corn-field. 

Dr.  John  Collet  says  that  in  the  summer  of  1880  an  almost 
complete  skeleton  of  a  mastodon  was  found  in  Iroquois  County, 
Illinois,  which  goes  far  to  settle  definitely  that  it  was  a  recent 
animal  and  fed  upon  the  vegetation  which  prevails  to-day.  The 
tusks  were  nine  feet  long,  twenty-two  inches  in  circumference, 
and  weighed  175  pounds;  the  lower  jaw  was  nearly  fifteen  feet 
long;  the  teeth  weighed  four  or  five  pounds;  each  of  the  leg 
bones  measured  five  feet  and  a  half,  indicating  that  the  animal 
was  eleven  feet  high.  On  inspecting  the  remains  closely,  a  mass 
of  fibrous  matter  was  found  filling  the  place  of  the  animal's  stom 
ach,  which  proved  to  be  a  crushed  mass  of  herbs  and  grasses 
similar  to  those  which  still  grow  in  the  vicinity.  A  skeleton 
was  found  by  excavating  the  canal,  embedded  in  the  peat,  near 
Covington,  Fountain  County.  Indiana.  When  the  larger  bones 
were  split  open  the  marrow  was  utilized  by  the  bog-cutters  to 
grease  their  boots.  Chunks  of  sperm-like  substance  occupied 
the  place  of  the  kidney  fat  of  the  monster.J 


*See  Proceedings  A.  A.  A.  A.,  31st  meeting,  Montreal,  1882,  Part  II,  p.  265. 

tSee  Amer.  Nat.,  pp.  605-7.    Also,  Epoch  of  the  Mammoth,  by  J.  U.  Southall,  p.  103 

JSee  Geological  Report  of  Indiana.  1880,  p.  384. 


42 

These  discoveries  convince  us  that  the  mastodon  survived  the 
glacial  period,  and  may  have  been  contemporaneous  with  the 
Mound-builders. 

IV.  Were  the  Mound-builders  contemporaneous  with  the 
mastodon?  This  is  a  disputed  point,  and  considerable  feeling 
has  been  raised  in  the  contention.  There  have  been  reports  of 
the  images  of  the  mastodon  and  mammoth;  but  the  genuineness 
of  the  finds  has  been  disputed,  and  is  still  with  some  a  matter  of 
doubt.  Were  we  to  discriminate  between  these,  however,  accept 
ing  some  as  genuine,  others  as  doubtful,  we  might  reach  a  safe 
conclusion.  The  history  of  these  discoveries  is  about  as  follows: 
In  1874.  Mr.  Jared  Warner  found  upon  the  bottom-land  of  the 
Mississippi,  near  Wyalusing,  an  effigy  which  was  called  an  ele 
phant.  He,  in  company  with  a  number  of  gentlemen,  measured 
and  platted  it,  and  sent  a  drawing  of  it  to  the  Smithsonian  Insti 
tute.*  Mr.  Warner  says  :  "  It  has  been  known  here  for  the  last 


SECTION  OF  MOUND.— A,  first  grave:  B,  second  grave;  a,  limestone  one  foot  below 
the  surface;  b,  human  remains,  probably  Indians;  c,  upper  shell  bed;  d,  lower  shell 
bed;  e,  cavity  on  north  side  of  grave  A;  /,  position  of  tablets. 

Fig.  IS.— Section  of  Mound. 

twenty-five  years  as  the  elephant  mound."  "The  head  is  large, 
and  the  proportion  of  the  whole  so  symmetrical  that  the  mound 
well  deserves  the  name.  The  mound  was  in  a  shallow  valley 
between  two  sandy  ridges,  and  was  only  about  eight  feet  above 
high  water."  There  are  many  mounds  in  this  section  of  country 
in  the  shape  of  birds,  bears,  deer  and  foxes.  We  would  say  that 
the  effigy  of  the  bear,  which  is  very  common  here,  and  which 
was  the  totem  of  the  clan  formerly  dwelling  here,  has  exactly 
the  same  shape  as  the  so-called  elephant,  but  is  not  so  large  and 
lacks  the  proboscis.  The  projection  at  the  nose  called  the  pro 
boscis  is  not  really  one, but  is  the  result  of  the  washing  of  the  soil. 
It  was  a  mere  prolongation  of  the  head,  had  no  curve,  did  not 
even  reach  so  far  as  the  feet,  and  can  be  called  a  proboscis  only 
by  a  stretch  of  imagination.  There  is  no  evidence  whatever 
>that  it  was  intended  to  represent  a  proboscis.  The  size  of  this 
mastodon  is  as  follows:  length  135  feet,  from  hind-feet  to  back 
sixty  feet,  from  fore-feet  to  back  sixty-six  feet,  from  end  of  snout 


*The  report  was  published  in  1875.    The  gentlemen  who  accompanied  Mr.  Warner 
were  Mr.  J.  C.  Urr  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Scott. 


43 

to  neck  or  throat  thirty-one  feet,  from  end  of  snout  to  fore-legs 
thirty-nine  feet,  between  fore-legs  and  hind-legs  fifty-one  feet, 
across  the  body  thirty-six  feet.  These  measurements  make  the 
proboscis  and  snout  combined  about  the  same  length  as  the  fore 
legs  ;  the  proboscis  alone  about  half  the  length  of  the  fore-legs ; 
whereas,  had  it  been  a  genuine  imitation  it  should  have  been 
nearly  double  the  length.  The  writer  has  visited  the  effigy  two 
or  three  times,  but  found  it  more  and  more  obliterated.  No 
other  effigy  of  the  elephant  could  be  discovered  in  the  vicinity, 
and  no  other  has  since  been  discovered.  Compare  Figs,  i  and  17. 


PLAN  OF  MOUND.— A,  first  grave;  B,  second  grave;  a,  cavity  on  north  side  ol  grave 
A;  b.  layer  of  stones  at  edge  of  shell  bed;  c,  loam  between  the  graves;  d,  skeletons  In 
first  grave;  e,  skeletons  in  second  grave;  /,  position  of  tablet. 

Fig.  19— Plan  of  Mound. 

The  history  of  the  second  discovery  is  about  as  follows .  In 
the  year  1874,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gass  was  engaged  in  exploring 
mounds.  He  came  upon  a  group  of  mounds  situated  about  a 
mile  below  the  city  of  Davenport  (see  map),  on  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  about  250  feet  from  it  and  from  eight  to 
twelve  feet  above  low  water  mark,  which  consisted  of  ten  or 
twelve  mounds.  Several  of  these  were  excavated,  and  found  to 
contain  a  large  number  of  relics,  such  as  sea  shells,  copper  axes, 
pipes,  hemispheres  of  copper,  arrow  heads,  pieces  of  galena, 
pieces  of  pottery,  pieces  of  mica,  stone  knives,  copper  imple 
ments  shaped  like  a  spool,  rondells,  showing  that  trepaning  had 
been  practiced.  Many  of  the  axes  had  been  wrapped  with  coarse 
cloth,  which  had  been  preserved  by  the  copper  Fig.  16.  The 
pipes  were  all  of  Mound-builders'  pattern;  some  of  them  were 
carved  with  effigies  of  birds  and  animals.  One  bird  has  eyes  of 
copper,  another  has  eyes  of  pearl,  showing  much  delicacy  of 
manipulation  and  skill  in  carving.  These  relics  excited  much 
interest  and  were  put  on  exhibition  before  the  American  Associa 
tion  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  Detroit,  in  1875.  About 


44 

twenty  copper  pipes  were  reported  at  that  time,  and  eleven  cop 
per  awls  and  a  large  number  of  bones.  They  were  said  to  have 
been  found  at  various  depths,  some  of  them  near  skeletons,  some 
near  altars,  some  in  ashes,  though  they  were  all  from  the  same 
group  on  the  Cook  farm.  The  mounds  on  the  Cook  farm  were 
the  most  of  them  stratified.  All  of  them  contained  bodies  and 
ashes;  two  or  three  of  them  contained  altars  or  round  heaps  of 
stone,  but  with  no  relics  upon  the  altars.  Mound  No.  3  was  the 
one  in  which  the  tablets  were  discovered.  This  was  a  low  mound, 
about  three  feet  high  and  sixty  feet  in  diameter.  It  was  a  double 
mound  and  contained  two  graves  parallel  to  each  other,  three  or 
four  xeet  apart,  six  feet  wide  and  nine  or  ten  leet  long. 

In  making  the  excavation  of  the  first  grave  the  party  found, 
near  the  surface,  two  human  skeletons,  which  were  modern  In 
dians,  and  with  them  modern  relics;  such  as  fire  steel,  a  common 
clay  pipe,  a  number  of  glass  beads,  a  silver  earring.  Below  these 
was  a  layer  of  river  shells  and  a  large  quantity  of  ashes,  which 


•fj  a  -i- 1  7-  o 


Fig.  SO.— Hieroglyphics  on  Tablets.* 

extended  two  feet  below  the  surface,  but  which  rested  upon  a 
stratum  of  earth  twelve  inches  in  depth,  under  which  was  a  second 
bed  of  shells.  At  the  depth  of  two  feet  below  the  second  shell 
bed,  55^  feet  below  the  summit,  three  skeletons  were  discovered, 
lying  in  a  horizontal  position  at  the  bottom.  With  the  skeletons 
were  five  copper  axes,  all  of  which  had  been  wrapped  in  cloth, 
a  number  of  small  red  stones,  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  star,  two 
carved  stone  pipes,  several  bear's  teeth,  two  pieces  of  galena,  one 
large  broken  pot,  a  lump  of  yellow  ochre,  one  arrow-head.  A 
child's  skeleton  was  discovered  between  the  two  large  ones,  near 
which  was  a  large  number  of  copper  beads. 

The  second  grave  was  not  opened  until  the  year  1877,  about 
two  years  after  the  first.  Mr.  Gass  was  attended  by  a  party  of 
seven  men,  two  of  whom  were  students.  They  found,  near  the 
surface,  modern  relics — a  few  glass  beads  and  fragments  of  a 
brass  ring;  also  a  layer  of  shells  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  thick; 
beneath  this  a  second  layer  five  or  six  inches  thick;  beneath  the 
second  layer  a  stratum  of  loose  black  soil  or  vegetable  mould, 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches  thick,  and  in  the  mould  fragments  of 
human  bones.  At  the  bottom  they  discovered  the  two  inscribed 
tablets,  lying  close  together  on  the  hard  clay,  five  and  one-half 

*The  word  TOWN  will  be  recognized  in  the  cut,  which  represents  the  charac 
ters  on  the  left  side  of  the  upper  arch  in  their  regular  order.  The  first  to  call  atten 
tion  to  this  word  was  Dr.  Farquharson,  the  President  of  this  Association,  though  at 
the  time  he  thought  that  the  finding  the  letters  was  a  pure  fancy.  The  word  has 
often  boon  noticed  in  the  tablet,  and  has  always  worked  against  its  genuineness.  It 
has  been  intimated  that  the  Mormons  planted  these  tablets.  The  recent  find  at 
Mendon,  Illinois,  of  a  brass  plate  or  sounding  board  of  a  musical  instrument,  with 
similar  characters,  near  a  house  once  occupied  by  Mormons  confirms  this  conjecture 


45 

feet  below  the  surface  of  the  mound;  both  were  encircled  by  a 
single  row  of  lime  stones.  About  two  and  one-half  feet  east 
were  a  copper  axe,  a  few  copper  beads,  fragments  of  pottery,  a 
piece  of  mica  and  a  number  of  bones.  These  were  found  at  a 
subsequent  exploration,  not  at  the  same  time  as  the  tablets. 

The  large  tablet  is  twelve  inches  long,  from  eight  to  ten  inche 
wide,  and  was  made  of  dark  coal  slate.  Fig.  22.  The  smaller 
tablet  was  about  square,  seven  inches  in  length,  and  had  holes 
bored  in  the  upper  corners,  and  is  called  the  calendar  stone,  as 
it  contained  twelve  signs  with  three  concentric  circles,  though 
the  signs  do  not  in  the  least  resemble  the  Mexican  or  Maya  cal 
endars.  The  larger  tablet  contained  a  picture  on  either  side,  one 
representing  a  cremation  scene,  the  other  a  hunting  scene.  The 
cremation  scene  "suggests  human  sacrifices."  A  number  of 
bodies  are  represented  as  lying  upon  the  back,  and  the  fire  is 
burning  upon  the  summit  of  the  mound,  while  the  so-called 
Mound-builders  are  gathered  in  a  ring  around  the  mound.  Above 


fig.  21.— Characters  Duplicated  on  the  Sandstone  Tablet. 

the  cremation  scene  is  an  arch  formed  by  three  crescent  lines, 
representing  the  horizon,  and  in  the  crescent  and  above  it  are 
hieroglyphics,  some  of  which  resemble  the  common  figures  and 
numbers,  and  the  various  letters  of  the  alphabet;  there  are  ninty- 
eight  figures,  twenty-four  in  one,  twenty  in  the  other,  and  fifty- 
four  above  the  lines.  The  peculiar  features  of  this  picture 
are  these  :  A  rude  class  of  Mound-builders  are  practicing  hu 
man  sacrifice,  while  the  images  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  both  in 
the  sky,  one  containing  a  face,  the  other  circles  and  rays.  Above 
these  is  the  arch  of  the  heavens,  with  Roman  numerals  and 
Arabic  figures  scattered  through  and  above  it.  The  figure  eight 
is  repeated  three  times,  the  letter  O  repeated  seven  times.  With 
these  familiar  characters  are  ethers  which  resemble  letters  of 
ancient  alphabets,  either  Phoenician  or  Hebrew,  and  only  a  few 
characters  such  as  the  natives  generally  used. 

The  hunting  scene  is  the  one  which  is  supposed  to  contain  the 
mastodon.  In  this  picture  there  is  a  large  tree  which  occupies 
the  foreground,  beneath  the  tree  are  animals,  human  beings  and 
fishes  scattered  indiscriminately  about,  a  few  skeletons  of  trees 
in  the  back  ground.  One  of  the  human  figures  has  a  hat  on, 
which  resembles  a  modern  hat,  for  it  has  a  rim.  "Of  the  animal 
kingdom  thirty  individuals  are  represented,  divided  as  follows, 
viz:  Man,  eight:  bison,  four;  deer,  four;  birds,  three;  hares, 


46 

three;  big  horn  or  Rocky  Mountain  goat,  one;  fish,  one;  prai 
rie  wolf,  one;  nondescript  animals,  three.  Of  these  latter  one 
defies  recognition,  but  the  other  two,  apparently  of  the  same 
species,  are  the  most  interesting  figures  of  the  whole  group. 
These  animals  are  supposed  by  different  critics  to  represent  the 
moose,  tapers  or  mastodons."  The  trunk  and  tusks  are  omitted 
from  this  animal,  and  even  the  shape  hardly  resembles  the  ele 
phant,  certainly  not  enough  to  prove  that  the  Mound-builders 
were  contemporaneous  with  the  mastodon.* 

The  third  discovery  is  the  one  the  most  relied  upon.  This 
discovery  was  also  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gass,  in  the  spring 
of  1880,  several  years  after  the  discovery  of  the  tablets.  Mr. 
Gass  was  accompanied  by  Rev.  Mr.  Blcomer.  A  group  of  ten 
mounds,  arranged  in  irregular  rows,  was  situated  along  the  bluffs 
overlooking  the  Mississippi  bottoms  west  of  Muscatine  Slough. 
The  first  mound  opened  proved  to  be  a  sacrificial  or  cremation 
mound,  situated  on  the  extreme  edge  of  a  prominent  bluff,  having 
ravines  on  both  sides.  It  was  a  flat  cone,  thirty  feet  in  diameter, 
elevation  three  feet.  Near  the  surface  was  a  layer  of  hard  clay, 
eighteen  inches  thick;  below  this  a  layer  of  burned  red  clay,  as 
hard  as  brick,  one  foot  thick;  under  this  a  bed  of  ashes,  thirteen 
inches  deep.  In  the  ashes  were  found  a  portion  of  a  carved 
stone  pipe,  bird  form,  by  Mr.  H.  Haas;  a  very  small  copper  axe 
by  Mr.  Gass ;  a  carved  stone  pipe,  entire,  representing  an  ele 
phant,  which,  Mr,  Bloomer  says,  "was  first  discovered  by  myself." 
The  other  mounds  of  the  group  were  explored,  and  contained 
ashes  and  bones,  but  no  relics.  Mr.  Gass  makes  no  report  of 
finding  the  elephant  pipe,  but  leaves  that  to  Mr.  Bloomer.  During 
the  same  year  he  discovered,  in  the  mounds  in  Mercer  County, 
Illinois,  several  Mound-builders'  pipes — one  representing  a  lizard, 
one  a  turtle,  another  a  snake  coiled  around  an  upright  cylinder 
and  covered  with  some  very  thin  metallic  coating.  Mounds  on 
the  Illlinois  side,  near  Moline,  and  Copper  Creek  and  Pine  Creek, 
had  previously  yielded  to  Mr.  Gass  carved  stone  pipes,  one  of 
them  representing  a  porcupine,  anothera  howling  wolf.  The  pipes 
were  composed  of  some  dark-colored  slate  or  variety  of  talc, 
thus  showing  that  the  Mound-builders  of  the  region  were  in  the 
habit  of  imitating  the  animals  which  they  saw,  making  effigies 
of  them  on  their  pipes.  The  account  of  finding  this  elephant  is 
written  in  a  very  straightforward  manner ;  nothing  about  it  shows 
any  intention  to  deceive. 

*Another  tablet  was  found  by  Mr.  Charles  Harrison  in  1878,  who  is  president  of  the 
society,  in  mound  No.  11  of  the  some  group.  In  the  mound  was  a  pile  of  stones  two 
and  one-half  by  three  feet  in  size,  which  might  be  called  an  altar,  about  three  feet 
below  the  surface;  the  slab  fourteen  inches  square,  and  beneath  the  slab  was  a  vault, 
and  in  the  vault  was  the  tablet,  with  four  flint  arrows  on  the  tablet;  a  shell  and  a 
quartz  crystal.  The  figures  on  this  tablet  were  a  circle  which  represented  the  sun,  a 
•it  representing  the  moon,  and  a  human  figure  astride  the  circle,  colored 
bright  ochre  red,  all  of  them  very  rudely  drawn.  The  fljrure  is  supposed  to  represent 
the  sun  god.  The  figure  eight  and  other  hiooglyphics  are  upon  this  tablet.  Above 
the  hieroglyphics  was  a  bird  and  an  animal,  and  between  them  a  copper  axe.  This 
tablet  is  as  curious  us  the  one  discovered  by  Mr.  Gass. 


47 


The  fourth  discovery  consisted  of  a  carved  stone  pipe,  also  in 
the  shape  of  an  elephant  or  mastodon.  This  pipe  was  picked  up 
in  a  cornfield  by  a  German  farmer  named  Mare,  who  gave  it  away 
and  afterwards  moved  to  Kansas.  The  pipe  came  into  the  hands 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gass,  was  purchased  by  the  Davenport  Academy 
and  is  now  in  their  museum.  Both  pipes  have  the  general 

_____ Mound-builder 

shape, — a  curved 
base.  Both  pipes 
are  alike  in  that 
they  represent  the 
animal  with  a  pro 
boscis,  but  with  no 
tusks.  The  reason 
for  this  may  have 
been  that  it  was 
difficult  to  carve  the 
tusks  out  of  stone; 
if  they  had  been  so 
carved  they  were  li 
able  to  break.  They 

Fig.  22, — Map  of  the  Mounds  on  the  Cook  Farm.  are      alike    also     in 

representing  the  eye  and  ear,  mouth,  tail,  legs  and  feet  of  the 
animal  in  a  very  natural  way.  The  main  difference  between  them 
is  that  one  has  the  trunk  stretched  out  in  front,  and  the  back 
curved  upward,  and  a  heavy  body.  The  other  represents  the 
proboscis  curved  inward,  toward  the  legs;  the  back  is  straight 
and  the  body  slim.  Both  have  the  bowl  of  the  pipe  between 
the  fore-legs,  which  are  brought  out  in  relief  from  the  cylinder 
on  the  sides  of  the  bowl;  the 
hole  for  smoking  is  at  the 
rear  of  the  animal.  The  pipes 
show  much  more  familiarity 

with   the  mastodon   than   do  HHHPtt293ll 

the  effigies.     They  represent  •M^FflBBI 

the  trunk  as  nearly  twice  as 
long  as  the  fore-legs.  These 
pipes  have  been  discredited  by  certain  writers,  especially  by  Mr. 
W.  H.  Henshaw,  of  the  Ethnological  Bureau,  but  they  have  been 
defended  by  Mr.  Charles  Putnam,  the  president  of  the  Davenport 
Academy,  and  are  endorsed  by  the  members  of  the  Academy  at 
the  present  time.*  In  favor  of  the  genuineness  of  the  pipes,  we 

*The  evidence  in  their  favor  is  certainly  as  reliable  as  that  which  has  reference  to 
the  rude  stone  relics  which  have  been  described  in  Wright's  Ice  Age.  Several  per 
sons  were  engaged  in  exploring  and  giving  testimony  in  reference  to  the  find.  In  the 
case  of  the  stone  relics  taken  from  the  railroad  cut,  we  have  the  testimony  of  only 
one  man  who  was  exploring  .  Mr.  H  T.  Cresson's  testimony  is  taken,  while  in  this 
case  the  testimony  of  several  men  seems  to  be  doubted.  See  "Ice  Age,"  by  F.  G. 
"Wright.  See  Discussion  of  H.  T.  Cresson's  Pile-dwellings,  American  Antiquarian, 
Vol.  XII,  page  184.  Discussion  over  elephant  pipes  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Henshaw.  Report 
of  Ethnological  Bureau,  second  [annual  report,  1880-81.  Davenport  Academy  report 
Vol.  IV,  page  256,  article  by  Chas.  E.  Putnam. 


Fig.  23 — A  Itar  Containing  Sandstone  Tablet. 


48 


may  say  that  during  the  same  year  of  the  discovery  of  the  ele 
phant  pipe,  the  bones  and  tusks  of  an  elephant  were  found  in 
Washington  County,  la.,  and  were  reported  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Davenport  Academy.  These  bones  were  about  six  feet 
below  the  surface,  in  the  black  mud  sediment  and  vegetable 

mould.  They  seem  to  have 
been  quite  a  recent  deposit, 
and  the  elephant  or  masto 
don  which  was  buried  here 
may  have  been  the  very  one 
which  was  represented  in 
the  pipe. 

In  this  connection  we 
would  speak  of  the  loca 
tion  of  the  mounds  which 
contain  the  pipes  and  the 
tablets,  It  is  the  general 
opinion  that  those  mounds 

.  ti»— Davenport  Tablet.  which  were  erected  on  the 

upper  terraces  were  the  older,  that  those  upon  the  lowland  were 
the  later.  Some  writers  have  maintained  that  the  first  class  were 
erected  when  the  water  rilled  the  entire  valleys  and  covered  the 
first  terrace.  If  that  were  the  case,  then  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders  must  have  been  acquainted  with  the  mastodon  and  other 
animals  of  that  class.  The  mound  which  contained  the  elephant 
pipe  was  situated  upon  the  bluffs  far  above  the  plain.  This  is 
significant.  It  may  be  that  the  elephant  pipe  was  deposited  in 
this  mound  on  the  bluff  at  a  time  when  Muscatine  Slough  and 
Meredosia  Slough  were  lakes,  whose  waters  flowed  near  the  bluffs 
— a  time  when  the  mastodon  was  common. 


AffCOBfl     Wfl&.EK, 

LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP.  ROSS     COUNTY. 


VILLAGE  ENCLOSURE  ON  THE  SCIOTO. 


49 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 

We  now  come  to  the  question  of  the  relation  of  the  Mound- 
builders  to  the  modern  Indians.  There  has  been  a  great  difference 
of  opinion  on  this  subject,  but  it  would  seem  as  if  archaeologists 
were  coming  nearer  to  one  another  and  agreeing  that  the  Indians 
at  one  time  built  mounds,  but  most  of  them  acknowledging  that 
there  was  a  difference  between  the  two  classes. 

I.  The  appearance  of  the  buffalo  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Mound-builders'  territory  is  the  first  point  which  we  are  to  con 
sider.  The  buffalo  seems  to  have  extended  its  range  beyond 
the  Mississippi  River.  The  nomadic  savages  had  a  habit  of 
setting  fire  to  the  prairies.  The  flame  swept  into  the  eastern 
forests,  bringing  the  open  prairie  into  the  midst  of  the  Mound- 
builders'  works,  and  reaching  almost  to  the  Ohio  and  the  Alle 
gheny  Rivers.  The  hunters  followed  the  buffalo  to  the  eastern 
ranges.  This  will  account  for  the  disappearance  of  the  Mound- 
builders.  Still,  we  are  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders,  those  who  dwelt 
in  the  fortified  villages  and 
who  were  the  sun  worship 
ers,  were  not  acquainted 
with  the  buffalo;  at  least 
they  had  no  buffalo  pipes. 
There  was,  however,  a  race 
of  mound-building  Indians 
subsequent  to  them,  who 
were  hunters  and  effigy- 
builders,  and  were  acquaint 
ed  with  the  buffalo,  Our 
proof  of  this  is  as  follows:  Fig'1~ 

I.  The  effigies  of  the  buffalo  are  found  in  Wisconsin.  This  will 
be  seen  from  reference  to  the  cut  See  Fig.  I.  The  effigy  of  the 
buffalo  has  been  seen  in  many  places — at  Beloit,  Madison,  and 
at  Green  Lake.  Inscriptions  of  the  buffalo  are  found  in  the 
picture  cave  at  West  Salem.  2.  Shoulder  bones  of  the  buffalo, 
according  to  Squier  and  Davis,  were  found  in  Ohio,  but  at  the 
summit  of  the  mound  and  associated  with  modern  Indian  relics. 
3.  The  bones  of  the  buffalo,  according  to  M/.  McAdams,  were 
found  in  the  depths  of  the  pyramid  mounds  not  far  from  Alton, 
Illinois.  4.  The  bones  of  the  buffalo  were  found  among  the  ash 


50 

heaps  near  Madisonville,  Ohio.  5.  Effigies  of  the  buffalo,  ac 
cording  to  T.  H.  Lewis,  have  been  recognized  in  the  standing 
stones  of  Dakota.*  6.  Traditions  of  the  buffalo  were  prevalent 
among  the  Chickasaws  and  the  Choctaws  of  the  Gulf  States. 
Traditions  of  an  animal  with  an  arm  extending  from  the  fore- 
shoulder,  according  to  Charlevoix,  were  prevalent  among  the 
Indians  of  Canada.  These  discoveries  and  traditions  are  im 
portant,  for  they  show  that  the  mastodon  and  buffalo  were  con 
temporaneous  with  the  Mound-builders,  though  the  mastodon 
may  have  been  known  to  one  class  and  the  buffalo  to  another. 
It  is  very  uncertain  just  how  early  these  Mound-builders  lived. 
There  are  some  indications  that  they  were  quite  ancient.  7.  When 
Ferdinand  De  Soto  and  his  party  landed  in  Florida  they  were 
surprised  by  the  sight  of  the  horns  and  head  cf  a  buffalo,  an 
animal  they  had  never  seen  before.  This  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  Florida  Indians.  They  afterwards  became  familiar  with  the 
buffalo  robes  or  skins  used  by  the  Southern  Indians.  It  appears, 
then,  that  at  least  350  years  ago  the  buffalo  was  known  as  far 
east  as  Florida.  8.  According  to  Marquette,  the  buffalo  roamed 
as  far  east  as  the  prairies  of  Illinois  in  the  year  1680,  but  we  can 
not  fix  upon  the  date  when  the  buffalo  effigies  were  erected. 
Buffalo  bones  were  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  mounds  on  the 
Great  American  bottom,  south  of  the  locality  where  the  masto 
don  pipes  were  discovered.  This  would  indicate  that  the  buffalo 
and  mastodon  were  contemporaneous  and  that  the  Mound-builders 
were  acquainted  with  both  animals,  and  that  the  Mound-builders' 
age  extended  from  the  time  of  the  mastodon  to  that  of  the  buffalo. 
II.  We  would  next  refer  to  the  evidence  as  to  the  succession  of 
races.  The  works  on  the  North  Fork  of  Paint  Creek,  on  the 
Hopewell  farm,  illustrate  this.  Here  is  a  group  of  mounds, 
which  has  been  explored  by  Warren  K.  Moorehead,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  World's  Fair.  Some  remarkable  relics  have  been 
taken  out.  One  mound  was  very  large,  500  feet  long,  190  feet 
broad,  24  feet  high.  Near  the  top  of  this  mound  were  stone 
effigies,  resembling  those  in  Dakota.  At  the  bottom  of  the 
mound  were  a  number  of  skeletons,  lying  upon  the  base  line. 
The  ground  had  been  burned  hard,  and  the  earth  above  this  was 
interstratified  with  sand  and  gravel.  The  skeletons  were  found 
in  dome-shaped  cavities,  four  or  five  feet  in  height.  One  skeleton 
was  called  the  king ;  there  were  wooden  horns  at  his  head,  in 
imitation  of  antlers;  thin  sheets  of  copper  covered  the  wood. 

*The  standing  stones  and  the  bone  paths  may  have  been  the  work  of  the  Dakota 
Indians.  Mr.  McAdams  has  placed  a  plaster  cast  of  a  buffalo  pipe  in  the  museum  at 
Springfield,  111.  It  is  uncertain  whether  the  cast  is  of  a  genuine  pipe.  If  so,  it  would 
prove  that  the  pipe-makers  with  both  animals,  the  mastodon  and  the  buffalo.  Bee 
Discovery  of  Mastodon  Bones,  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  I,  p.  54.  First  Discovery 
of  Pipe,  Ibid.,  Vol.  II,  p.  68  Inscriptions  in  Cave,  Ibid.,  Vol.  V I ,  p.  16  and  122.  Bone 
Paths,  Ibid.,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  153.  Animals  Known,  Ibid.,  Vol.  IX,  pp.  153  and  57.  See 
Emblematic  Mounds,  pp.  274, 9, 163,  217.  The  following  are  the  localities:  Beloit,  Rock 
County;  Blue  Mounds,  Grant  County;  Butler's  Quarries,  Green  Lake  County;  Buffa 
lo  Lake,  Adams  County;  Prairie  du  Chien,  Crawford  County;  Madison,  Dane  Co. 


51 

The  horns  were  attached  to  a  helmet-shaped  head-dress  or  mask, 
which  reached  from  the  upper  jaw  to  the  occupit  ot  the  skull. 
Pearl  beads,  shell  beads,  bear  teeth,  bear  and  eagle  claws,  copper 
spools,  copper  discs,  covered  the  chest  and  abdomen.  A  large 
platform  pipe,  an  agate  spear-head,  four  copper  plates,  canes 
from  the  south  covered  with  copper  were  at  the  sides  and  back. 
In  the  same  mound  were  several  skeletons,  covered  with  a 
large  quantity  of  copper,  and  adorned  with  most  intricate  and 
beautiful  designs.  These  are  classified  into  anklets,  bracelets 
and  wristlets,  and  ornaments  for  various  parts  of  the  body.  The 
bracelets  were  solid  throughout,  and  formed  by  bending  a 
tapering  bar  of  copper  into  a  circle.  There  were  four  circular 


Fig.  9.— Works  at  Hopeton. 

discs,  joined  in  pairs  by  a  thick  stem  of  copper,  and  four  other 
discs,  joined  by  pivots,  and  richly  ornamented  with  repousse 
work.  There  were  thin  plates,  cut  in  the  form  of  fishes;  others 
into  diamond  forms,  with  geometrical  figures  inside  the  rings. 
Most  curious  of  the  whole  collection  are  two  pieces  of  copper 
representing  the  Suastika, — the  only  one  that  has  been  found 
north  of  the  Ohio  River.  Beside  these,  was  a  flat  piece  of  copper 
that  had  thin  pieces  of  cane  inside,  evidently  intended  to  be  worn 
on  the  wrist  as  a  protection  from  the  bow.  Many  of  the  pieces 
have  attached  to  them  a  curious  texture,  resembling  matting,  made 
out  of  wood  fibre;  while  several  were  plated  with  silver,  gold 
and  meteoric  iron.  One  piece  was  evidently  a  cap  for  the  crown 
of  the  head,  and  had  an  aperture  through  which  the  scalp-lock 
could  protrude,  or  to  which  feathers  could  be  attached.  There 
were  also  with  them  pieces  representing  birds  and  animals,  and 


52 

others,  curiously  pronged,  which  were  evidently  used  for  combs. 
The  five  skeletons  were  also  found  lying  side  by  side, — two  of 
which  were  covered  with  a  layer  of  copper,  six  by  eight  feet. 
The  copper  had  been  worked  into  many  forms.  There  were 
sixty-six  copper  belts,  ranging  in  size  from  one  and  one  half 
inches  to  twenty-two  and  one  half  inches  in  length.  A  large 
thick  copper  ax  weighed  forty-one  pounds.  This  exceeds  any 
specimen  ever  found  in  the  United  States.  There  were  traces  of 
gold  on  it.  The  cutting  edge  is  seven  inches  broad  and  is  very 
sharp.  A  number  of  smaller  copper  axes  attended  this.  Thirty 
copper  plates,  with  Mound-builders'  cloth  on  them,  overlapped 
the  axes.  The  average  size  of  the  plates  was  ten  by  six  inches. 
A  great  copper  eagle,  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  wings  out 
spread,  beak  open,  tail  and  wing  feathers  neatly  stamped  upon 
the  copper  surface,  etc.,  covered  the  knees  of  one  of  the  skele 
tons.  This  is  one  of  the  most  artistic  designs  ever  found  in  cop 
per.  Remains  of  a  copper  stool,  about  a  foot  in  length  and  several 
inches  in  height,  lay  near  one  of  the  skeletons.  The  stool  was 
made  out  of  wood,  and  had  been  covered  with  sheet  copper. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  late  tribes  in  their  rudeness,  but 
preceding  these  tribes  we  find  a  certain  barbaric  magnificence 
that  might  be  compared  to  that  of  the  early  in  habitants  of  Great 
Britain, — the  symbols  of  sun-worship  wrought  into  copper  and 
placed  upon  the  bodies.  We  have  no  doubt  that  the  persons 
who  were  buried  here,  and  who  carried  such  massive  axes  and 
wore  such  heavy  helmets  and  elaborate  coats  of  mail,  were  an 
cient  sun-worshipers,  differing  entirely  from  the  later  Indians. 

The  evidence  of  a  succession  of  races  'is  given  elsewhere. 
The  writer  has  explored  the  mounds  scattered  along  the  Mis 
sissippi  River  from  the  state  line  on  the  north  to  Alton  on  the 
south,  and  has  found  several  classes  of  works  in  this  district. 
They  are  as  follows:  I.  In  the  north,  the  effigies  of  Wisconsin 
passed  over  the  borders,  making  one  class.  2.  Below  these 
aie  the  burial  mounds  at  Albany,  Moline  and  Rock  Island,  which 
were  explored  by  the  members  of  the  Davenport  Academy. 
These  were  mainly  unstratified,  some  of  which  contained  relics, 
such  as  carved  pipes,  red  ochre,  lumps  of  galena,  sheets  of  mica 
and  fragments  of  pottery.  3.  Farther  south,  near  Quincy,  the 
Mound-builders  buried  their  dead  without  depositing  relics.  The 
mounds  are  not  stratified;  neither  do  they  contain  relics.  4.  The 
fourth  class  is  that  which  has  been  very  frequently  described, 
consisting  of  the  pyramids,  of  which  Cahokia  is  a  good  speci 
men.  5.  The  fifth  class  is  that  marked  by  the  stone  graves. 
These  extend  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  to  the  state 
line  at  Cairo.  What  is  remarkable  about  the  Illinois  mounds  is 
that  in  every  locality  there  seems  to  have  been  a  large  number 
of  tribes,  some  of  which  were  earlier  and  some  later. 

The  relics  which  are  in  the  Davenport  Academy  are  for  the 


53 


most  part  from  the  Iowa  side,  and  are  unlike  the  majority  of 
those  from  the  Illinois  side,  though  there  are  localities  in  Illinois 
where  similar  relics  are  discovered.  The  contrast  between  the 
mounds  at  Davenport  and  others  is  seen  in  the  cut  Fig.  3  The 
lower  part  represents  a  mound  in  Illinois,  the  upper  a  mound  in 
Iowa.  These  mounds  are  stratified,  have  layers  of  stones  at 
intervals,  the  altars  are  pillars  or  piles  of  stones  and  have  the 
bodies  by  the  side.  No  such  altars  are  found  in  any  other  mounds. 
The  symbolism,  however,  is  similar  to  that  found  in  Ohio.  It 
was  the  symbolism  of  the  sun-worshipers,  and  it  contained  the 
crescent  and  circle.  Fig.  3, 
No.  9.  This  shows  that  the 
Davenport  Mound -builders 
should  be  classed  with  the 
sun-worshipers  of  Ohio,  that 
the  pipe-makers  of  this  re 
gion  were  the  same  people  as 
the  pipe-makers  of  that  State, 
and  were  older  than  the  other 
Mound-builders. 

III.  The  difference  appar 
ent  in  the  antiquity  of  the 
mounds  is  the  chief  evidence. 
It  was  noticed  by  Messrs. 
Squier  and  Davis  that  many 
of  the  earth-works  when  first 
discovered  were  dilapidated, 
especially  those  upon  the  sum 
mits  of  the  hills  and  the  banks 
of  the  rivers.  The  streams 
had  encroached  upon  the  ter 
races  and  had  broken  down 
the  walls  of  the  villages.  In 
one  case,  at  the  crossings  of 
Paint  Creek,  the  stream  had 
overflowed  the  terrace  and 


Fig.  3.— Stratified  Mounds  near  Davenport. 


had  made  a  passage-way  for  itself  through  a  village  enclosure, 
leaving  part  of  the  wall  upon  one  side  and  part  on  the  other.  In 
another  case  the  large  circle  had  been  encroached  upon,  and  the 
terrace  near  which,  at  one  time,  was  the  bed  of  Paint  Creek  was 
broken  down,  leaving  the  wall  of  the  enclosure ;  but  the  creek 
now  runs  more  than  a  mile  away.  See  Fig.  4.  The  same  is 
true  of  the  circle  upon  the  North  Fork.  See  Fig.  5.  The  en 
closure  near  Dayton  also  illustrates  this.  This  was  situated  in 
the  valley  of  the  Miami  on  land  which  is  even  now  at  times  over 
flowed.  It  was  overlooked  by  the  great  mound  at  Miamisburg 
and  had  evidently  been  occupied.  Some  maintain  that  the 
works  had  never  been  finished,  but  their  condition  is  owing  to 


54 


the  wear  of  the  stream.  The  works  at  Portsmouth  had  suffered 
the  same  destruction.  The  Scioto  had  changed  its  channel,  had 
encroached  upon  the  eastern  terrace  and  had  destroyed  a  portion 
of  the  covered  way.  At  Piketon  the  stream  had  withdrawn  from 
the  terrace  and  had  left  an  old  channel,  with  ponds  full  of  water, 
near  the  foot  of  the  covered  way,  but  is  now  flowing  in  a  new 
channel  half  a  mile  from'  the  covered  way.  The  graded  way 
which  ended  with  the  terrace  was  1050  feet  long  and  215  feet 
wide.  It  may,  at  one  time,  have  been  used  as  a  canoe  landing 
or  levee,  for  the  village  was  on  the  summit  of  the  terrace;  but 
the  village  is  gone  and  many  of  the  works  have  disappeared. 

The  enclosures  at  Hopeton  are  better  preserved,  but  the  walls 
of  the  covered  way,  which  are  nearly  half  a  mile  in  length,  ter 
minate  at  the  edge  of  the 
terrace,  at  the  foot  of 
which  it  is  evident  the 
river  once  had  its  course, 
but  between  which  and 
the  present  bed  of  the 
stream  a  broad  and  fer 
tile  bottom  now  inter 
venes  This  covered 
way  may  have  been  de 
signed  as  a  passage-way 
to  Monnd  City,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the 
river.  See  map.  The 
graded  way  at  Marietta  ends  with  the  terrace,  but  there  is  now 
an  interval  of  700  feet  between  the  end  of  the  way  and  the  river 
bank.  These  changes  indicate  great  antiquity  in  the  works  of 
Southern  Ohio.  The  same  is  true  of  the  southern  works.  There 
are  old  river  beds  near  the  pyramids  of  Georgia,  according  to 
Professor  Eugene  Smith.  This  is  true  also  of  the  mounds  at 
Mason's  plantation.  The  Savannah  River  has  encroached  upon 
the  largest  tumulus  and  "  performed  what  it  would  have  taken 
long  days  to  accomplish."  The  layer  of  charcoal,  ashes,  shells, 
fragments  of  pottery  and  bones,  can  be  traced  along  the  water 
front  of  the  mounds,  showing  its  construction.  These  are  two 
feet  below  the  surface ;  the  superincumbent  mass  seems  to  have 
been  heaped  up  to  the  height  of  thirty-seven  feet  above  the  plain 
and  forty-seven  feet  above  the  water  line. 

The  age  of  the  trees  growing  upon  the  earth-works  is  to  be 
noticed  here.  The  forts  of  Southern  Ohio  when  discovered  were 
generally  covered  with  forests,  and  trees  of  large  size  were  found 
upon  the  very  summits  of  the  walls.  Some  of  them  when  cut 

*This  Is  situated  on  the  Scioto  River,  one  mile  south  of  Chillicothe.  A  portion 
of  the  square  has  been  spoiled  by  the  invasion  of  Ihe  river.  The  large  circle  has 
also  been  encroached  upon.  The  low  bottom  at  the  base  of  the  terrace  was  evident 
ly  at  one  time  the  bed  of  Paint  Creek,  but  has  since  changed  its  channel. 


iOO«  ft  to  Inch 

Fig.  h.— Circle  and  Square  near  Chillicothe.* 


55 


down  showed  four  or  five  hundred  rings,  thus  indicating  that  at 
least  five  hundred  years  had  elapsed  since  the  fort  had  been 
abandoned.  Such  was  the  case  with  the  old  fort  at  Newark.  Mr. 
Isaac  Smucker  says  the  trees  were  growing  upon  its  banks  all 
around  the  circle,  some  of  them  ten  feet  in  circumference.  In 
1815  a  tree  was  cut  down  which  showed  that  it  had  attained  the 
age  of  550  years.  Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  the  fort  in  High 
land  County.  They  say  that  "the  area  was  covered  with  a 
heavy  primitive  forest  of  gigantic  trees.  An  oak  stood  on  the 
wall,  now  fallen  and  much  decayed,  which  measured  twenty-three 
feet  in  circumference.  All  around  are  scattered  the  trunks  ot 
immense  trees  in  every 
stage  of  decay.  The  en 
tire  fort  presented  the 
appearance  of  the  great 
est  antiquity." 

IV.  The  contents  of  the 
mounds  are  instructive. 
It  is  remarkable  that 
no  buffalo  pipes  have  so 
far  been  found  in  the 
mounds,  though  ele 
phant  pipes  have  been. 
We  imagine  the  pipe- 
makers  were  earlier  than 
the  effigy-builders,  for 
the  pipes  are  found  in 
are  seldom  found 


Fig.  5  — Circle  and  Square  near  Chillicothe .* 


the  lowest  strata  of  the  mounds  and 
upon  the  surface;  while  the  buffalo  bones 
are  often  found  near  the  summits  of  the  mounds,  and  were  very 
common  upon  the  surface.  Paths  were  made  of  the  shoulder 
bones  of  buffalos  in  Dakota.  Agricultural  tools  made  from  the 
bones  of  the  buffalo  were  found  in  Ohio.  These  facts  show  that 
the  range  of  the  buffalo  was  formerly  farther  east.  The  indica 
tions  are  that  the  mastodon  was  known  to  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders  and  the  buffalo  to  the  later,  and  that  the  Mound-builders' 
age  extended  from  the  time  of  the  mastodon  to  the  time  of  the 
buffalo,  and  was  prolonged  througl)  many  centuries. 

The  mounds  of  habitation  are  found  in  the  north  and  south 
east  part  of  Vincennes.  The  north  mound  has  a  height  of  36 
feet,  a  circumference  of  847  feet,  and  is  attended  by  another  25 


*This  work  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  10  miles 
from  Chillicothe.  A  portion  of  the  large  circle  has  been  encroached  upon  and  de 
stroyed  by  the  creek,  which  has  since  receeded  something  over  a  fifth  of  a  mile. 
There  was  formerly  a  Shawnee  town  near  this  work.  Indian  graves  are  marked  on 
the  plan.  From  these  relics  have  been  taken— gun-barrels,  copper  kettles,  silver 
cross  and  brooches,  and  many  other  ornaments  which  the  Indians  were  accustomed 
to  bury  with  the  dead.  The  ancient  works  at  Piketon,  at  Cedar  Banks,  and  at 
High  Banks  have  also  been  encroached  upon  by  the  river.  See  section  map  of 
twelve  miles  of  the  Scioto  Valley.  The  works  at  Piketon  illustiates  the  same  fact. 
The  works  are  destroyed  by  the  wasting  of  the  bank.  The  river  now  runs  at  a  dis 
tance  Its  ancient  bed  is  distinctly  to  be  seen  at  the  base  of  the  terrace.  See  maps 
on  pp.  17, 18, 115  and  189;  also  cuts  on  pp.  94, 154,  240  and  264. 


56 

feet  high  and  40  feet  in  circumference.  Prof.  Collett  speaks  of 
one  mound  which  he  calls  a  temple  mound,  and  says  that  the 
temple  had  two  stories.  In  other  words,  it  was  a  terraced  mound. 
We  have  elsewhere  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  group  at 
Vincennes,  as  well  as  that  near  Evansville,  belongs  to  the  same 
class  with  the  Cahokia  mounds  and  may  well  be  called  terraced 
pyramids  or  terraced  platform  mounds.  They  constitute  temple 
mounds  of  a  peculiar  type.  They  are  generally  grouped  in  such 
a  way  that  the  terraced  mound  is  in  the  center.  These  pyra 
mid  mounds  were  evidently  devoted  to  sun  worship,  though  it  is 
uncertain  whether  their  summits  were  occupied  by  temples  or 
by  houses  of  the  chiefs.  If  we  take  the  descriptions  given  by 
the  early  explorers,  we  should  say  that  the  terraced  pyramids 
were  perhaps  the  residences  of  the  chiefs  and  that  they  were 
guarded  by  warriors  who  were  stationed  upon  the  terraces,  the 
conical  mounds  in  the  vicinity  being  the  place  where  the  temple 
was  located.  This,  however,  takes  us  into  a  new  field.  A  de 
scription  of  the  pyramids  has  been  given  elsewhere.  We  only 
refer  to  them  here  as  exhibiting  a  race  of  sun  worshipers,  who 
were  followed  by  a  race  of  hunters. 

The  mounds  in  the  State  of  Illinois  were  built  by  a  different 
class  of  people ;  many  of  them  contained  in  the  stratification 
the  records  of  different  periods.  This  was  especially  the  case 
with  the  burial  mounds.  There  are  many  burial  mounds  which 
have  bodies  at  different  depths;  some  of  the  bodies  having  been 
deposited  by  later  tribes  and  some  by  earlier.  Those  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  mounds  are  generally  badly  decayed  and  show  signs 
of  age.  We  find  an  illustration  among  the  burial  mounds.  The 
pyramid  at  Beardstown,  Illinois,  is  to  be  noticed.  This  seems  to 
have  been  a  very  old  structure,  but  was  occupied  at  recent  date. 
It  was  30  feet  high,  150  feet  in  diameter,  and  stood  immediately 
upon  the  bank  of  the  river  on  land  which  was  surrounded  by  a 
slough  and  which  was  in  reality  an  island.  This  island,  on  ac 
count  of  its  favorable  position,  had  been  for  centuries  a  camping 
ground  of  the  aborigines.  It  was  excavated  by  the  city  author 
ities  and  found  to  contain  upon  its  summit  shallow  graves  with 
skeletons  of  recent  Indians,  buried  with  implements  of  iron  and 
stone  and  ornaments  of  glass  and  brass.  A  little  deeper  remains 
of  Europeans,  perhaps  followers  of  La  Salleand  Tonty;  a  silver 
cross  was  grasped  by  the  skeleton  hand  and  Venetian  beads  en 
circled  the  skeleton  waist  of  a  former  missionary,  a  disciple  of 
Loyola,  who  had  probably  made  his  grave  in  this  distant  wilder 
ness.  These  were  intrusive  burials.  At  the  botton  of  this  mound, 
on  the  original  sand  surface,  there  was  found  a  series  of  stone 
graves  or  crypts,  formed  by  planting  flat  stones  in  the  sand  and 
covering  them  with  other  flat  stones.  These  tombs  or  rude  cists 
were  empty.  So  great  was  the  lapse  of  time  that  the  bodies  had 
entirely  decayed,  not  a  vestige  remained.  The  mound  when  fin- 


57 

ished  formed  an  elevated  platform,  from  whose  summit  was  an 
uninterrupted  view  of  the  distant  bluffs  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
for  two  or  three  miles  above  and  below.  A  nest  of  broad  horn 
stone  discs  was  discovered  buried  in  the  sand  a  short  distance 
above  this  mound.  The  nest  was  composed  of  five  layers  of 
flints,  about  1000  in  all.  They  were  embedded  in  the  bank  of 
the  river,  but  above  the  reach  of  the  highest  water,  four  feet  be 
low  the  surface.  They  had  been  placed  in  an  ovoid  heap  or 
altar,  overlapped  each  other  as  shingles  on  a  roof.  The  length 
of  the  ovoid  was  six  feet  and 'the  width  four  feet.  The  relics 
had  an  average  length  of  six  inches,  width  four  inches;  their 
shape  was  also  ovoid.  They  were  discolored  with  a  concretion 
which  showed  undisturbed  repose  in  the  clay,  enveloped  for  a 
great  period  of  time.  It  is  supposed  that  they  were  originally 
brought  from  Flint  Ridge.  They  resembled  the  flint  discs  found 
in  the  Clark's  works  of  Ohio;  similar  nests  have  been  found 
near  St.  Louis,  Cassville,  on  the  Illinois  river;  several  places  on 
the  Scioto  river.  The  most  rational  theory  in  reference  to  the 
discs,  is  that  they  were  deposited  in  obedience  to  a  superstition 
or  religious  idea,  which  was  perhaps  related  to  a  water  cult.  Dr. 
Snyder  mentions  a  deposit  of  3500,  near  Fredericksville,  in 
Schuyler  County,  also  on  the  Illinois  river.  Dr.  Charles  Rau 
described  a  deposit  of  horn  stone  discs,  circular  in  shape,  near 
Kaskaskia  river,  and  another  deposit  of  agricultural  flint  imple 
ments  near  East  St.  Louis.  W.  K.  Morehead  mentions  a  de 
posit  of  7300  discs  discovered  in  a  mound  near  Clark's  works 
in  Ohio.  These  discs  seem  to  connect  the  Mound-builders  of 
the  Illinois  river  with  those  of  the  Scioto,  and  convey  the  idea 
that  the  pyramids  and  the  sacred  enclosures  were  built  at  the 
same  time. 

Another  mound  of  this  class  was  found  at  Mitchell's  Station, 
on  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad.  The  mound  was  300  feet 
long  and  30  or  40  feet  high,  and  contained  near  the  base  of  it  a 
skeleton  in  a  wrapping  of  matting,  a  large  number  of  copper  im 
plements  and  ornaments,  and  a  portion  of  the  head  of  a  buffalo. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  here  that  the  pottery  of  this  region  resem 
bles  that  found  in  West  Tennessee  and  in  Southeastern  Missouri 
— a  pottery  mady  of  very  fine  material  and  very  highly  glazed. 
The  animals  imitated  by  the  pottery  are  very  much  the  same,  but 
the  pottery  pipes  and  portrait  vases  are  lacking.  There  are 
many  human  skeletons  lying  underneath  the  soil  in  the  vicinity 
of  these  platform  mounds.  In  some  places  layers  of  them  to 
the  depth  of  eight  or  nine  feet  are  found.  Relic-hunters  also 
find  many  burials  along  the  sides  of  the  bluffs.  Large  quantities 
of  agricultural  tools  ^are  taken  out  frerh  these  burial  places.  These 
cemeteries  on  the  bottom  lands  and  on  the  bluffs  indicate  that 
there  was  an  extensive  population  for  a  long  period  of  time.  We 
classify  the  works  and  relics  with  those  of  the  Southern  Mound- 


58 

builders,  and  imagine  that  they  were  older  than  the  Northern 
Mound-builders. 

We  here  refer  to  the  mounds  of  Kentucky.  Sidney  Lyons,  in 
speaking  of  the  mounds  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  says 
that  they  contain  three  different  kinds  of  burials:  i.  Those 
without  works  of  art  near  the  summit.  2.  Those  with  works  of 
art,  the  bodies  having  been  laid  on  the  surface.  3.  Deep  excava 
tions  containing  badly  preserved  bones.  One  mound  contained 
different  burials,  the  urn  burial  in  the  middle.  With  the  urns 
were  deposited  parcels  of  paint  and  iron  ore.  Another  mound 
contained  several  copper  awls  and  iron  ore ;  another  mound  con 
tained  the  following  relics :  several  copper  awls,  five  inches  long, 
a  disc  of  copper  covered  with  woven  fabric,  three  circular  stones 
with  the  margin  groved  like  a  pulley,  with  five  small  perforations 
in  the  margin;  in  another  mound  was  a  layer  of  clay,  beneath 
the  clay  a  pavement  of  limestone.  The  burials  above  the  clay 
were  peculiar:  the  bodies  were  placed  in  circles,  lying  on  the  left 
side,  heads  inward;  the  burials  below  the  pavement  six  feet  be 
low  the  clay ;  but  no  relics  or  works  of  art  were  connected  with 
the  deep  burials.  Some  of  the  bodies  were  covered  with  slabs 
of  stone,  set  slanting  like  a  roof,  but  those  below  the  pavement 
were  merely  covered  with  sandy  soil.  Another  was  to  dig  a  deep 
vault  in  the  form  of  a  circle,  placing  the  bodies  against  the  side 
of  the  wall,  in  a  sitting  posture,  faces  inward.  These  different 
burials  show  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  in  this  region, 
some  of  them  quite  modern,  others  very  early. 

Mr.  Lyons  seems  to  have  come  upon  burial  mounds  in  which 
there  were  successions  of  races  buried,  three  or  lour  different  peri 
ods  of  time  being  represented,  The  relics  and  bones  in  the  deep 
burials  were  generally  decayed.  The  relics  in  the  middle  series 
were  of  a  primitive  kind  and  seem  to  have  been  made  by  an  un- 
warlike  people.  There  were  extensive  cemeteries  in  Tennessee 
and  Missouri,  and  grand  depositories  of  bones  in  the  caves  of 
Kentucky  and  Ohio.  These  cemeteries  and  ossuaries  may  have 
been  earlier  or  later  than  the  regular  Mound-builders;  they  at 
least  show  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  and  that  all  parts 
of  the  country  were  occupied  for  a  long  time. 


59 


CHAPTER   V. 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS. 

DIFEERENT     MODES    OF    BURIAL    ASCRIBED    TO    DIFFERENT     TRIBES 

OR    RACES. 

We  propose  in  this  chapter  to  take  up  the  burial  mounds  in  the 
United  States  and  study  them  as  monuments.  The  term  is  very 
appropriate,  since  they,  in  common  with  all  other  funereal  struc 
tures,  were  evidently  erected  as  monuments,  which  were  sacred 
to  the  memory  of  the  dead.  Whatever  we  may  say  about  them 
as  works  of  architecture,  they  are  certainly  monumental  in  de 
sign.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that  mounds  have  everywhere  been 
erected  for  this  purpose.  We  read  in  Homer  that  a  mound  was 
built  over  the  grave  of  Patroclus,  and  that  the  memorial  of  this 
friend  of  ^Eneas  was  only  a  heap  of  earth.  The  name  of 
Buddha,  the  great  Egyptian  divinity,  has  also  been  perpetuated 
in  the  same  way.  There  are  great  topes,  conical  structures,  in 
various  parts  of  Asia,  which  contain  nothing  more  than  a  fabled 
tooth  of  the  great  incarnate  divinity  of  the  East,  but  the  outer 
surface  of  these  topes  is  very  imposing.  The  pyramids  of  Egypt 
were  erected  for  the  same  purpose.  Some  of  them  contain  the 
mummies  of  the  kings  by  whose  orders  they  were  erected.  Some 
of  them  have  empty  tombs,  and  yet  they  are  all  monuments  to 
the  dead.  It  was  a  universal  custom  among  the  primitive  races 
to  erect  such  memorials  to  the  dead.  The  custom  continued, 
even  when  the  races  had  passed  out  from  their  primitive  condi 
tion,  but  was  modified.  The  earth  heaps  gave  place  to  stone 
structures,  either  menhirs  or  standing  stones,  cairns,  cromlechs, 
dolmens,  triliths.  stone  circles,  and  various  other  rude  stone 
monuments,  though  all  of  these  may  have  been  more  the  tokens 
of  the  bronze  age  than  of  the  stone  age.  We  make  this  distinc 
tion  between  the  ages:  during  the  paleolithic  age  there  were  no 
burial  heaps ;  the  bodies  were  placed  in  graves,  or  perished 
without  burial.  During  the  neolithic  age  the  custom  of  burying 
in  earth  heaps  was  the  most  common,  though  it  varied  according 
to  circumstances.  During  the  bronze  age  stone  monuments 
were  the  most  numerous.  When  the  iron  age  was  introduced  the 
the  modern  custom  of  erecting  definite  architectural  structures 
appeared.  The  prevalence  of  the  earthworks  in  the  United 
States  as  burial  places  shows  that  the  races  were  here  tn  the 
stone  age,  but  the  difference  between  these  will  illustrate  the 
different  conditions  through  which  the  people  passed  during  that 
age. 


(50 

There  is  one  point  to  be  considered  here.  It  has  been  main 
tained  that  the  stone  age  has  existed  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  prevalence  of  burial  mounds  proves  this.  It  is  wonderful 
that  they  are  so  widely  distributed.  Sir  John  Lubbock  says: 

"  In  our  own  island  the  smaller  tumuli  may  be  seen  in  almost 
every  down ;  in  the  Orkeys  alone  it  is  estimated  that  more  than 
two  thousand  still  remain,  and  in  Denmark  they  are  even  more 
abundant;  they  are  found  all  over  Europe  from  the  shores  of  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Ural  mountains;  in  Asia  they  are  scattered  over 
the  great  steppes,  from  the  borders  of  Russia  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
and  from  the  plains  of  Siberia  to  those  of  Hindostan;  the  entire 
plain  of  Jellabad,  says  Masson,  is  literally  covered  with  tumuli 
and  mounds.  In  America  they  are  to  be  numbered  by  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  ;  nor  are  they  wanting  in  Africa,  where 
the  pyramids  exhibit  the  most  magnificent  development  of  the 
same  idea;  indeed,  the  whole  world  is  studded  with  the  burial 
places  of  the  dead.  Many  of  them,  indeed,  are  small,  but  some 
are  very  large.  The  mound  on  Silbury  hill  is  the  highest  in 
Great  Britain ;  it  has  a  height  of  187  feet.  Though  it  is  evidently 
artificial,  there  is  some  doubt  whether  it  is  sepulchral."* 

Another  fact  is  to  be  noticed.  The  custom  of  erecting 
tumuli,  or  earth  heaps,  has  survived  late  into  history.  This  is 
the  point  which  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas  has  sought  to  establish. 
It  will  be  readily  granted,  for  the  intelligent  reader  will  notice 
that  there  are  such  tumuli  not  only  in  America,  but  also  in  various 
parts  of  Europe.  The  tumuli  in  Russia  will  serve  as  an  exam 
ple.  These  are  called  "  kurgans."  and  are  said  to  have  belonged 
to  historic  times,  some  of  them  having  been  erected  as  late  as 
the  eleventh  century,  A.  D.  Two  kinds  of  graves  are  found  in 
them,  one  kind  belonging  to  the  bronze  age,  the  other  to  the 
iron  age,  the  burning  of  the  dead  having  been  practiced  in  the 
bronze  age,  but  the  extended  corpse  being  characteristic  of  the 
iron  age.  Another  remarkable  proof  of  this  is  furnished  by  the 
discovery  of  the  burial  place  of  one  of  the  Norse  sea-kings.  It 
was  on  the  shores  of  Norway,  near  Gokstad,  and  contained  a 
Viking  ship,  with  oars,  shields,  benches,  and  other  equipments. 
In  the  ship  was  a  sepulchral  chamber  which  contained  the  body 
of  a  Viking  chief,  and  about  it  were  the  remains  of  horses  which 
were  buried  with  him.  Here,  then,  we  have  a  case  similar  to 
those  found  in  Russia,  burial  mounds  having  been  erected  as  late 
as  the  tenth  century.  Great  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  sur 
roundings  since  that  time,  for  the  mound  was  some  distance 
from  the  shore,  showing  that  the  sea  had  receded  from  the  land 
since  the  burial. 

The  most  important  point  is  that  there  is  the  perpetuity  of 
the  custom  of  mound  building  through  all  the  "ages".  Here 

*Lubbock's  Prehistoric  Times,  pp.  Ill  and  112. 


61 

we  have  the  Viking  sea-king,  with  a  boat  fastened  together  with 
iron  nails.  In  the  same  region  we  have  kitchen  middens  with 
the  remains  of  extinct  animals  in  them.  Between  the  two  we 
have  the  whole  history  of  the  stone  age,  the  different  monuments 
showing  the  succession  of  races.  If  this  is  the  case  in  Scandi 
navia,  it  is  also  the  case  in  America.  The  burial  mounds  are 
not  all,  by  any  means,  of  modern  date.  Perhaps  none  of 
them  can  be  traced  back  to  as  early  a  date  as  the  kitchen  middens 
and  the  cave  contents  of  Europe  indicate,  yet  many  of  them  are, 
we  believe,  quite  ancient;  in  fact,  so  ancient  that  everything  that 
was  perishable  has  passed  away,  and  only  the  imperishable  has 
been  preserved.  The  mounds  are  valuable  as  records,  since  they 
show  a  succession  of  races.  There  may  be,  even  in  the  same 
group,  different  mounds  which  have  been  erected  in  different 
ages,  so  that  the  records  may  go  over  several  hundred  years, 
even  when  the  appearance  externally  is  the  same. 

With  these  remarks  we  propose  to  consider  the  burial  mounds 
of  the  United  States,  especially  those  found  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  We  would  say,  however,  before  beginning,  that  there 
are  mounds  outside  this  valley,  in  fact  many  of  them.  They 
have  been  discovered  on  the  northwest  coast,  in  British  Colum 
bia,  in  Washington  Territory,  and  in  Oregon.  Mr.  James  Deans 
claims  that  he  has  discovered  a  certain  embankment  near  Vic 
toria,  B.  C.,  with  a  ditch  six  feet  deep;  also  low  mounds,  the 
remnants  of  ancient  dwellings,  and  burial  caves  of  the  usual 
type.  Mr.  Forbes  maintains  that  the  works  of  this  region  resem 
ble  the  stone  circles  which  are  found  in  Devonshire,  England. 
The  dimensions  of  the  mounds  are  from  three  to  eighteen  feet 
in  diameter,  and  they  are  found  in  groups  of  from  three  to  fifty. 
It  is  probable  that  these  earthworks  are  fortifications,  and  that 
the  stone  circles  within  them  are  the  remains  of  huts,  which  have 
fallen  and  been  destroyed.  The  burial  mounds  of  this  region 
have  not  been  explored.  There  are  graves'  near  Santa  Barbara, 
and  on  Santa  Rosa  island,  in  Southern  California,  which  have 
yielded  large  quantities  of  stone  relics.  These  have  been  de 
scribed  by  Rev.  Stephen  Bowers,  Drs.  C.  C.  Abbott,  H.  W.Hen- 
shaw,  Lucien  Carr,  and  others.*  * 

There  are  also  shell  heaps  or  kitchen  middens  in  the  same 
region.  These,  however,  differ  from  the  burial  mounds,  which 
are  really  rare  along  the  Pacific  coast.  Dr.  Hudson  has  discov 
ered  a  tumulus  of  the  regular  type,  and  has  described  it  in 
THE  AMERICAN  ANTIQUARIAN.!  It  is  situated  near  Oakland, 
Cal.  "  It  is  imposing  in  form,  interesting  in  feature,  locality  and 
composition."  It  measures  three  hundred  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base,  and  twenty-five  feet  in  height.  It  is  circular  in  form,  with 
a  flat  summit,  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  across  the  truncated 

*See  Wheeler's  Geographical  Survey,  Vol.  VII,  Smithsonian  Report,  1877. 
tSee  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  VII,  No.  3. 


62 

top.  A  relic  exhumed  from  a  mound  in  the  vicinity  is  also  de 
scribed  by  Dr.  Hudson.  It  is  a  crescent  carved  in  stone,  two 
inches  wide  and  eight  inches  from  point  to  point,  and  is  supposed 
to  indicate  the  prevalence  of  sun  worship  in  the  vicinity. 

We  now  come  to  the  burial  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 
These  are  to  be  classified  and  described.  We  shall  describe 
them,  both  according  to  their  architectural  character  and  their 
geographical  location,  as  well  as  their  contents,  since  this  is 
the  light  in  which  we  are  to  study  them.  The  architectural  char 
acter  embraces,  I,  the  question  of  size  and  shape;  2,  the  material 
of  which  they  are  composed;  3,  the  method  of  construction, 
whether  stratified  or  solid;  4,  the  character  of  interior,  whether 
a  chamber,  an  altar,  a  fire-bed  or  other  structure. 

The  study  of  geographical  location  will  embrace  two  or  three 
points  :  I,  The  question  whether  some  of  them  were  not  used  as 
signal  stations;  2,  whether  some  of  them  were  not  built  in  con- 
connection  with  villages  ;  3,  whether  their  contents  do  not  reveal 
the  social  status,  the  relics  of  one  district  being  very  different 
from  those  of  another  district,  but  the  burial  mounds  being  quite 
similar  in  character  throughout  the  same  districts;  4,  whether 
their  association  with  other  earth  works  would  indicate  that  all 
were  built  by  the  same  clan  or  tribe. 

In  treating  of  the  burial  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  we 
shall  keep  the  division  which  we  have  adopted  with  reference  to 
the  other  earth-works,  but  shall  modify  it  to  suit  the  circum 
stances.  The  division  is  as  follows:  I.  The  Upper  Mississippi 
district,  including  the  mounds  in  Minnesota  and  Dakota,  and 
extending  north  as  far  as  Lake  Winnipeg,  south  as  far  as  the 
Des  Moines  river.  II.  The  Wisconsin  district,  the  area  of  the 
emblematic  or  effigy  mounds.  III.  The  district  about  the  Great 
Likes,  including  Michigan  and  New  York.  IV.  The  Middle 
Mississippi  district,  including  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Missouri.  V.  The 
district  on  the  Ohio  river.  VI.  The  Appalachian  district,  includ 
ing  Western  North  Carolina  and  Eastern  Tennessee.  VII.  The 
Lower  Mississippi  district,  and  Texas.  VIII.  The  Gulf  district, 
including  the  Gulf  States  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Here  we  find 
large,  flat-topped,  pyramidal  mounds,  enclosed  by  walls  and  sur 
rounded  by  ditches  and  canals. 

This  division  is  the  one  given  by  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas,  though 
it  is  based  upon  a  division  previously  laid  down  by  the  writer, 
but  with  two  districts  added,  the  middle  district  having  been 
divided  into  two,  and  another  on  the  eastern  coast,  in  North 
Carolina,  having  been  discovered  by  Dr.  Thomas  himself.  The 
division  is  based  upon  the  characteristics  of  the  relics  which 
are  found  in  the  districts,  rather  than  upon  the  burial  cus 
toms,  and  therefore  indicate  nothing  concerning  these  customs. 
Still  it  is  well  to  state  that  there  is  a  correlation  between  the 


63 

burial  customs  and  the  districts,  so  that  we  may  recognize  the 
social  status  of  the  mounds,  as  well  as  of  the  general  structures. 

I.  We  take  first  the  district  which  is  embraced  within  the 
Upper  Mississippi  valley,  which  may  be  called  the  Northern  dis 
trict.  There  are  many  burial  mounds  in  this  district.  There 
are,  to  be  sure,  a  few  other  earth-works,  such  as  fortifications, 
lodge  circles,  lookout  mounds,  and  domiciliary  mounds,  but  the 
large  majority  were  evidently  erected  for  burial  purposes.  These 
are  found  in  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Illinois,  and 
Indiana,  all  of  which  may  be  called  prairie  States.  The  district 
might  also  be  said  to  embrace  the  valley  of  the  Red  river  and 
the  States  of  Dakota,  for  the  mounds  found  in  these  regions  are 
mainly  burial  mounds.  It  is  a  very  extensive  district,  and  yet 
one  that  is  homogeneous  in  character.  It  is  uncertain  whether 
the  mounds  were  the  work  of  Indians  known  to  history, but  they 
were  evidently  built  by  people  of  the  hunter  class,  all  of  whom 
were  nomadic  in  their  habits.  It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
nomads  that  they  rarely  provide  for  permanent  habitations,  but 
they  do  provide  for  the  burial  of  the  dead.  It  is  strange  that 
throughout  the  region  which  we  have  mentioned  there  are  so 
few  fortifications  but  so  many  burial  mounds.  It  is  probable 
that  the  people  who  dwelt  on  the  prairies  had  from  time  immem 
orial  been  in  the  habit  of  placing  their  villages  near  the  water 
courses,  and  then  building  signal  mounds  at  various  points  on 
either  side  of  the  villages.  By  this  means  they  could  become 
aware  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  and  then  find  safety  by 
taking  flight,  leaving  their  villages  to  be  destroyed  by  the  enemy. 

It  is  noticeable  that  most  of  the  signal  stations  were  burial 
mounds,  or,  in  other  words,  burial  mounds  were  used  as  signal 
stations,  the  location  of  these  mounds  on  the  high  points 
being  not  only  favorable  for  burials,  but  also  useful  for  the 
purposes  of  defense,  as  they  furnish  fine  views  of  the  surround 
ing  country.  It  is  possible  that  there  was  a  religious  sentiment 
embodied  in  them — the  spirits  of  the  dead  watching  over  the 
abodes  of  the  living,  but  the  living  taking  the  abodes  of  the  dead 
as  their  watch  towers,  and  so  the  living  and  the  dead  were  com 
bined  together  to  secure  safety. 

They  may  have  been  used  also  by  hunters  as  lookout  stations, 
from  which  the  presence  of  game  could  be  discovered,  as  many  of 
them  command  views  of  the  prairie  upon  one  side  and  the  bottom 
lands  upon  the  other,  being  so  placed  that  large  animals  might  be 
seen  grazing  on  one  side  and  birds  and  water  fowl  feeding  upon 
the  other,  the  lakes,  streams  and  open  country  being  brought  to 
view  by  the  elevated  position,  and  at  the  same  time  signals  in  the 
shape  of  fires  or  clouds  of  smoke  could  be  sent  to  more  distant 
points.  It  is  a  region  which  favored  this  method  of  defense  and  this 
kind  of  hunting,  since  it  was  a  prairie  region  through  which  large 
streams  and  rivers  flowed,  the  rivers  furnishing  an  abundance  of 


64 

fish  and  water  fowl,  but  the  prairies  game  of  a  larger  sort.  It  is 
very  interesting  to  pass  over  the  country  and  study  the  location 
of  the  burial  mounds  with  these  points  in  view,  for  there  is 
scarcely  a  mound  whose  location  is  not  significant.  The  burial 
mounds  form  cordons  of  lookout  stations,  and  taken  together 
they  make  a  net-work  which  covers  the  whole  map.  The  writer 
has  discovered  three  lines  of  lookout  stations  along  the  Mississ 
ippi  river,  one  of  them  on  the  bottom  lands  near  the  bank  of  the 
river,  another  on  the  bluffs  which  overlook  the  river,  another 
several  miles  back  overlooking  the  prairies,  which  are  situated 
on  either  side  of  the  river  valley.  It  was  also  noticed  that  within 
the  lines  of  lookout  stations  the  villages  were  built,  some  of 
them  being  on  the  bottom  land,  others  on  the  bluff's,  others  on 
the  edge  of  the  prairies,  the  burial  mounds  being  placed  near 
the  villages,  but  lookout  mounds  at  a  distance.  Others  have  also 
noticed  the  same  system  of  signal  stations  on  the  Missouri 
river.* 

As  to  the  character  of  the  mounds  within  the  district,  we 
would  say  that  they  are  ordinary  conical  or  hemispherical  tumuli, 
built  solidly  throughout,  very  few  of  them  having  cists  within 
them,  though  some  of  them  contain  layers  of  stone,  which  alter 
nate  with  the  layers  of  earth,  the  bodies  being  below  the  strata. 
Perhaps  the  district  may  be  subdivided  according  to  the  relics 
contained  in  the  mounds,  but  not  according  to  the  modes  of 
burial,  though  different  modes  of  burial  were  practiced  by  the 
different  tribes  which  traversed  the  district. 

Some  of  the  bodies  are  recumbent,  others  in  sitting  posture, 
others  lying  upon  the  side,  perhaps  buried  in  the  attitude  in 
which  they  died ;  others  present  promiscuous  heaps  of  bones — 
"  bone  burials"  ;  others  have  the  bodies  arranged  in  a  circle,  teet 
out  and  heads  toward  the  center  ;  others  have  the  bodies  arranged 
in  lines  placed  parallel  with  one  another.  A  few  have  bodies  in 
tiers,  as  if  piled  upon  one  another.  All,  however,  are  buried  in 
a  compact  manner,  chambers  being  exceptions. 

The  solid  type  of  burial  mound  we  ascribe  to  the  hunter  races. 
This  may  seem  conjectural,  and  yet  we  think  the  conclusion  is 
proven  by  the  facts.  If  we  take  the  range  of  this  class  of  tumuli 
and  compare  it  with  the  habitat  of  the  hunter  tribes  known  to 
history,  we  shall  find  a  very  close  correspondence.  In  this  dis 
trict  we  find  the  Algonquins  and  Dacotahs,  who  were  strictly 
hunters,  and  the  Chippewas,  who  were  both  hunters  and  fisher 
men.  They  occupied  all  of  the  region  between  the  great  lakes 
and  the  Ohio  river,  extending  west  as  far  as  the  Missouri  river. 
They  would  be  called  savages,  though  according  to  Mr.  Morgan's 
classification,  they  would  occupy  the  upper  status  of  savagery 
and  the  lower  status  of  barbarism.  They  were  partially  village 

*S.  V.  Proudflt.  in  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  VI,  No.  5. 


65 

Indians,  were  acquainted  with  pottery,  they  used  the  bow  and 
arrow,  occasionally  used  metals   such  as  copper,  galena,  brown 
hematite  and  mica.     They  subsisted  upon  wild  animals,  but  also 
gathered  wild  rice,  and  some  of  them  cultivated  maize  and  had 
patches  of  squashes,  melons  and   other  garden  products.     The 
chief  tokens  of  this  class  of  people  are   found    in    the   burial 
mounds.     They  consist  of  arrows  and  spears,  axes  and  hammers, 
shell  beads,    copper   needles,    knives,  pipes,   badges  or  maces, 
spool  ornaments,  and  occasionally  specimens  of  cloth.     Modern 
relics  are  frequently  found  in  the   mounds,    showing   that  the 
hunter  races  of  this  district  did  not  abandon  the  mound  building 
until  after  the  advent  of  the  white  man.     The   relics,   however, 
prove  that  in  the  prehistoric  times  the  people  of  this   entire  dis 
trict  were  in  a  much  lower  condition  than  those  in  the  Southern 
States.     There  are  no  burial  urns,  no  painted  pottery,  no  elabor 
ate  symbols,  very  few  idols   or  human   images,   and  but    few 
inscribed  tablets.     There  are  traces  of  extensive  aboriginal  trade, 
copper  from  Lake  Superior,  shells  from  the  sea  coast  and  the 
gulf  of  Mexico,  obsidian  cores  from  the  Rocky  mountains,  mica 
from  North  Carolina,  flint  from  Ohio,  and  galena  from  Wiscon 
sin.     This  variety  of  relics  proves   not  only  that  there  was  an 
aboriginal  trade,  but  that  the  tribes  were  wanderers  and  had  not 
reached  the  sedentary  condition  which  is  peculiar  to  agricultural 
races.     This  confirms  what  we  have  said,     There  may  have  been 
a  great  variety  of  races,  and  it  is  very  likely  that  there  were  many 
periods  of  occupation,  a  succession   of  races.     Still,  the  region 
was  so  favorable  to  hunting  that  it  seemed  to  have  been  occupied 
by  hunters  from  time  immemorial.     We   have  discovered  signs 
of  different  periods  of  occupation  in  many  of  the  burial  mounds 
of  this  region.     In  one  group  we  found  three  mounds.     One  of 
them   contained  the  body   of  a  medicine  man,  with  a  modern 
looking-glass  in  one  hand  and  a  bridle-bit  in  the  other,  with  frag 
ments  of  cotton  cloth,  pieces  of  tin,  coils  of  brass  wire  and  other 
relics  about  his  person,  showing  that  he  was  buried  after  the 
advent   of  white    men,   probably   within    fifty   years.     Another 
mound  contained  several  bodies,  but  with   no  relics  except  a 
single  chipped  flint  arrow-head,  though  a  child  seemed  to  have 
had  a  wristlet  of  bone  beads  around  its  hand,  and  a  pottery  vase 
filled  with  sweatmeats  which  had  been  placed  near  its  head.     This 
mound  had  trees  growing  upon  its  summit  which  were  at  least 
three   hundred   years  old.     The  third    mound   contained  three 
bodies  lying  upon  the  side,  with  face  in  the  hand.*     We  discovered 
also  in  the  same  region  mounds  built  with  stone  walls  in  the  form 
of  a  circle,  filled  with  bodies  laid   in   tiers,  but  with  stone  slabs 
lying  between  the  tiers,  the  whole  solid  throughout,  and  a  quasi 

*There  are  evidences  that  this  mode  of  burial  was  practiced  by  one  of  the  later 
tribes,  possibly  Sacs  and  Foxes,  but  the  other  burials  were  by  the  earlier  tribes,  some 
of  them  by  Shawnees,  and  some  of  them  by  tribes  preceding  even  the  Illinois. 


roof  of  slabs  covering  the  whole  structure.  The  evidence  was 
that  a  number  of  tribes  had  occupied  the  region.  Each  tribe 
had  practiced  a  different  mode  of  burial,  but  that,  with  all  their 
changes,  no  tribe  passed  beyond  the  hunter  state.  We  give  a 
series  of  cuts*  to  illustrate  the  character  of  the  mounds  of  this 
region.  One  of  these  represents  a  group  near  Excelsior,  Minn. 
See  Plate  I.  It  is  in  a  forest  which  borders  on  Lake  Minnetonka. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  circle  of  mounds  surrounding  a 
low  place  or  natural  meadow, and  a  wall  extending  along  the  lake 
shore.  The  group  contains  sixty-nine  mounds,  most  of  them 
burial  mounds.  One  of  the  mounds  was  opened,  and  thirty-five 
skulls  were  found  within  it,  arranged  in  a  circle,  covered  with 


L    *!<(/!«/»<   *  ^Ml/Iff.      .  Jin*/"', 
////i    •sautf/t       <tUuu/>*     *»!'/• 


Fig.  1— Group  of  Mounds  Tu-elve  Miles  from  Gideon's  Bail. 

sand.  The  location  of  the  group  and  the  arrangement  of  the 
mounds  would  indicate  that  it  was  the  site  of  an  ancient  village. 
The  writer  has  discovered  other  village  sites  with  the  same  or 
similar  arrangements  of  burial  mounds — one  of  them  on  the 
Crawfish,  near  Mud  Lake,  in  Wisconsin,  and  another  at  the  Cor 
liss  Bayou,  near  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  placing  of  the  burial 
mounds  around  the  edge  of  a  village  site  may  have  been  owing 
to  superstition,  the  same  superstition  as  that  which  led  to  the 
use  of  a  burial  mound  as  a  signal  station,  the  spirits  of  the  dead 
being  regarded  as  a  protection  to  the  village,  since  they  were 
supposed  to  remain  near  the  place  where  the  body  was  laid.  It 
may,  however,  have  been  owing  to  the  custom,  which  prevailed 
in  certain  tribes,  of  burying  the  dead  in  the  very  spot  where  the 


*See  Smithsonian  Report,  1879,  p.  422 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  IN  OHIO. 


67 
.    \ 

lodge  stood,  and  then  moving  the  lodge  to  another  place.  A 
group  of  mounds  one  mile  northeast  of  this  is  shown  on  the 
upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  cut.  Plate  I.  They  are  on  a  spot 
of  ground  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake, 
and  were  probably  used  as  signal  stations.  A  group  twelve 
miles  southeast  is  represented  in  the  next  cut.  Fig.  i.  Here  are 
thirteen  mounds  situated  on  a  high  bluff,  showing  that  these  were 
used  as  signal  stations  as  well  as  burial  mounds.  There  is 
another  group,  two  miles  southwest,  which  contains  forty  or  fifty 
mounds,  and  still  another,  seven  miles  northwest,  which  is  called 
Mound  City.  Here  the  writer  has  discovered  a  game  drive. 
Taking  the  region  together,  we  should  say  that  the  burial  mounds 
were  closely  connected  with  the  village  life,  but  such  a  kind  o 
life  as  hunters  would  follow,  the  very  position  of  the  tumuli 
being  such  as  would  be  favorite  spots  with  hunters. 

There  are  not  many  large  mounds  in  the  northern  district.  The 
only  one  which  has  been  discovered  is  the  one  called  the  hay 
stack  mound.  It  is  situated  in  Lincoln  County,  Dakota,  eighty- 
five  miles  northwest  of  Sioux  City.  It  is  on  a  fine  bottom,  and 
is  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  in  length  at  the  base  at 
the  northwest  side  and  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet  on  the 
southeast  side,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide.  Its  sides 
slope  at  an  angle  of  about  fifty  degrees;  it  is  from  thirty-four  to 
forty-one  feet  in  height,  the  northeast  end  being  the  higher. 

The  most  interesting  mounds  of  this  district  are  the  lookout 
mounds,  to  which  we  have  already  referred.  Some  of  these  are 
quite  large,  being  situated  upon  sightly  places,  they  are  prominent 
lankmarks,  and  are  now  becoming  interesting  objects  for  tourists 
to  visit.  One  such  lookout  mound  is  situated  near  St.  Paul; 
others  at  Winona,  at  Red  Wing,  at  Dubuque,  at  Dunleith,  at 
Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  at  New  Albany,  Keokuk,  Quincy, 
and  other  places.  One  of  the  mounds  south  of  Quincy  was 
used  by  the  coast  survey  as  a  place  to  erect  a  tower  upon,  thus 
showing  that  it  occupied  a  very  prominent  position. 

We  give  here  a  map  of  the  mounds  situated  along  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  near  Muscatine.  The  map  will  show  the 
number  and  location  of  the  tumuli.  They  are  perhaps  more 
numerous  in  this  vicinity  than  elsewhere,  but  they  are  generally 
placed  on  the  highest  points  or  bluffs,  as  they  are  here.  This 
particular  region  has  been  explored  by  gentlemen  from  Musca 
tine  and  from  Davenport.  The  letters  will  indicate  the  points. 
It  has  been  found  that  they  were  nearly  all  burial  mounds,  though 
they  did  not  all  contain  relics,  other  than  the  bones  of  the  dead. 
See  map. 

There  are  shell  heaps  in  this  vicinity,  located  in  the  neighbor 
hood  of  these  mounds,  "  which  extend  for  miles  without  inter 
ruption."  They  are  composed  of  recent  shells  and  contain  few 
implements.  The  mounds  occupy  the  most  beautiful  prospect 


/•'/.'/.  -'—  Mound  near  Moline. 


in  the  country.  One  large  mound  five  miles  east  of  Moline  was 
opened  and  disclosed  the  following  structure:  Three  feet  of 
soil  (a),  twenty-two  inches  of  ashes  and  bones  (b),  and  twelve 
inches  of  charcoal  and  bones  (c).  See  Fig,  2.  In  seven  mounds 
the  bodies  were  found  lying  upon  the  side,  the  knees  drawn  up 

to  the  chin.*  Two  other  groups 
in  this  vicinity  are  represented  in 
the  cuts.  Figs.  3  and  4.  One  of 
them,  the  one  on  Tohead  Island, 
has  a  shell  heap  near  it,  and  the 
other  containing  ten  mounds,  is 
located  on  an  isolated  hill  or  ridge. 
In  the  vicinity  is  found  a  cemetery 
containing  two  or  three  hundred 
graves.  The  graves  are  upon  low 
ground,  and  the  mounds  upon  high 
ground.1 

We  give  also  another  cut  (see 
Fig.  5f)  to  show  the  relative  group 
ing  of  the  burial  mounds.  The 
group  has  been  explored  by  parties 
from  the  Davenport  Academy,  and 
some  interesting  relics  have  been  taken  from  them,  Moline  being 
but  a  few  miles  east  of  Davenport.  The  group  contains  thirty- 
three  mounds,  some  of  them  made  ot  lime-stone  slabs. 

The  burial  mounds  of  this  vicinity — Muscatine,  Rock  Island, 
Moline  and  Davenport — show  how  extensive  the  population 
was.  They  con 
tain  many  relics 
which  show  that 
the  people  were 
quite  advanced  in 
some  of  the  arts, 
the  sculptured 
pipes  which  have 
been  taken  out 
from  the  mounds 
being  very  re 
markable.  There 
is  not  a  better  col 
lection  of  the  pipes  of  the  Mound-builders'  in  the  United 
States  than  the  one  contained  in  the  museum  of  the  Davenport 
Academy  of  Science.  These  pipes  were  taken  from  the  mounds 
in  the  vicinity,  those  from  the  Cooke  farm,  three  miles  south  of 
Davenport,  being  the  most  interesting.  From  this  same  group 


Fig.  S— Mound  on  Tohead  Inland. 


*See  description  of  same  mode  of  burial  In  mounds  near  Qulncy,  111. 

tSee  Am.  Antiquarian,  Vol.  II,  No.  2.    Taken  from  Smithsonian  Report,  1879,  p.  365 


69 

on  the  Cooke  farm  the  so-called  Davenport  tablets  were  taken. 
These  are  anomalous  in  character,  totally  unlike  the  other  speci 
mens  in  the  cabinet.  Members  of  the  Academy  maintain  that 
they  are  genuine,  but  one  may  recognize  upon  them  so  many 
Roman  and  Arabic  numerals,  and  so  many  alphabetic  letters,  as 
to  conclude  at  once  that  they  were  made  by  some  one  acquainted 
with  these  modern  characters.  The  relics  contained  in  the  cab- 


Fig.  /t — Group  of  Ten  Monuds  on  a  High  Ridge. 

inet,  aside  from  these  tablets,  are  very  valuable.  We  find  here 
many  interesting  specimens  of  copper  axes  and  pieces  of  cloth, 
as  well  as  pipes  and  pottery.  There  are  also  relics  in  the  cabinet 
from  the  districts  farther  south,  from  Missouri  and  Arkansas, 
and  these  being  placed  side  by  side,  show  the  differences  between 
the  districts  in  grade  of  culture  and  art  products. 

II.     We   come  now  to  the  second  district.     This  is  the  district 
occupied  by  the  effigy  mounds.     It  is  a  very  interesting  region. 

Road 


Hail   Road,. 


Fig.  5. — Burial  Mounds  near  Moline,  HI. 

Here  the  effigies  are  numerous  and  have  a  great  variety  of 
shapes.  We  have  in  them  complete  imitations  of  the  animals 
which  once  abounded,  but  which  have  become  for  the  most  part 
extinct.  There  are  many  effigies  of  panthers,  wolves,  foxes,  bear, 
wild  cat  and  other  beasts  of  prey.  Besides  them  we  have 
moose,  elk,  deer,  buffalo,  antelope  and  other  grazing  animals 
There  are  also  many  birds;  eagles,  hawks,  wild  geese,  pigeons 
swans,  cranes,  herons,  ducks  of  various  sorts,  swallows,  night 


70 


hawks.  The  amphibious  creatures  are  also 
represented;  turtles,  lizards,  muskrats,  otter, 
fish  and  frogs.  Also  fur-bearing  animals,  such 
as  beaver,  badger,  squirrels,  skunks,  mink  and 
weasels;  raccoons  and  martens.  Many  of  these 
are  imitations  of  the  animals,  but  many  of 
them  are  also  totems  or  emblems  of  the  tribe 
who  formerly  dwelt  here.  The  effigies  have 
enabled  us  to  identify  the  affinity  of  the  tribe 
as  well  as  its  division  into  clans.  Some  eight 
or  nine  clans  have  been  identified.  The  burial 
mounds  are  scattered  among  the  effigies  in 
such  a  way  as  to  show  that  the  clans  were 
accustomed  to  deposit  their  dead  in  conical 

tumuli,though 
they  occasion 
ally  erected  an 
effigy  over  the 
prominent 
members  ofthe 
,...4§)  tribe.  Not  all 
of  the  conical 
tumuli 


were 

erected  by  the  effigy 
builders.  There  was 
a  succession  of  races 
or  tribes  which  occu 
pied  this  region, 
some  of  which  built 
only  conical  monnds, 
but  the  effigy  build 
ers  were  the  first  of 
all. 


jf  ^1  The  tumuli  of  the 

t^^  effigy  builders  can  be 

distinguished  from 
those  of  the  later 
tribes  both  by  the 

proximity  to  effigies,  and  by  their  location  upon  the 
high  ground,  as  well  as  by  the  contents.  They  are 
ordinary  conical  tumuli,  solidly  built  throughout. 
They  contain  burials  which  resemble  those  of  the  first 
district,  though  there  are  very  few  pipes  or  carved 
stone  relics  found  within  them.  Some  of  these  burial 
mounds  are  surrounded  by  effigies,  as  if  the  purpose 
was  to  guard  them.  Others,  however,  are  arranged 
in  lines  with  the  effigies,  forming  parts  of  the 
groups.  Still  others  are  placed  on  the  summits  of  hills,  with 


6 

j 

4 


71 


effigies  arranged  in  line  in  front  of  them,  others  in  clusters  with 
effigies  at  various  distances  from  them.*  In  one  case  a  row  of 
burial  mounds  was  found  located  on  a  ridge  or  high  cliff;  the 


and  Burial  Mounds  near  Beloif. 


ridge  having  the  shape  of  an  immense  serpent,  and  the  mounds 
being  arranged  so  as  to  show  the  form  of  the  serpent,  the 
summit  of  the  ridge  and  the  line  of  the  mounds  both  convey 
ing  the  same  idea.  This  was  near  Cassville,  in  Grant  County, 
Wisconsin. 


fig.  8 — ^founds  on  the  East  Side  of  Lake  Koshkonong. 

We  give  a  series  of  cuts  to  illustrate  the  burial  mounds  of 
this  district.  The  first  group  is  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
so-called  elephant  effigy,  on  the  same  bottom  land,  but  about  a 
mile  to  the  north.  See  Fig.  6.  It  was  described  by  Mr.  Moses 
Strong.f 


*See  book  on  "Emblematic  Mounds,"  by  the  author.     fSmithsonian  Report,  1875. 


7L» 


SECTION 
MOUN  D 

AT      A 


The  group  was  excavated  and  found  to  contain  intruded 
burials,  skeletons  very  fresh  in  appearance, 
but  no  other  relics.  This  group  may  have 
been  erected  by  a  tribe  which  followed  the 
effigy  builders.  Another  cut,  however, 
represents  a  group  near  Aztlan  (see  Fig.  13), 
the  celebrated  ancient  city,  which  may  have 
been  the  capital  of  the  effigy  builders. 
The  next  represents  a  group  near  Beloit. 
See  Fig.  8.  Here  effigies  and  tumuli 
are  associated.  Another  cut  (see  Fig.  9) 
represents  a  group  on  the  east  side  of  Lake 


so.1  of. hill 


Fig.  10— Mound  <tt  Jiidian  Ford. 


GroiiSaeUoo  Of  /"found  'A'.Qr*- 

p 


guarded  by  eagles.  Another  group  on  the  west  side  of  Lake 
Koshkonong  repre 
sents  burial  mounds 
guarded  by  tortoises. 
Burial  mounds  have 
been  explored  by  va 
rious  parties,  Dr.  I. 
A.  Lapham,  Dr.  J.  E. 
Hoy,  R.  B.  Arm 
strong,  W.  H.Ander 
son,  Wm.  F.  Clarke,  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas,  Col.  J.  G.  Heg  and  others. 

The  mound  explored 
by  Dr.  Lapham  was 
at  Waukesha.  This 
group  was  found  on 
the  college  campus. 
A  circular  wall  about 
nine  feet  in  diameter 
was  discovered.  This 
Fig.  11— Mounds  on  Rock  Rirt-r.  extended  about  two 

feet  above  the  original  surface.  An  excavation  within  this  wall 
was  filled  with  black  earth  to  the 
depth  of  about  two  feet.  At  the 
bottom  of  this  was  a  skeleton 
lying  on  its  back.  It  was  sur 
rounded  by  a  circular  heap  of 
stone,  the  stone  also  being  placed 
over  the  body  so  as  to  form  a 
sort  of  rude  stone  coffin.  See 
Fiej.  9.  In  the  left  hand  of  the 
skeleton  was  a  pottery  bowl,  in 
the  right  hand  a  small  pipe. 
At  the  head  were  fragments  of 

two  pottery  vessels.    The  mound  ^g.  12— Mound  at  Newton. 

opened  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Hoy  was  at  Racine.     This  contained  a  body 


ftj-  Rf.cf  .toted  claif  containing '  2 .ik 
Scale—  lZft.tB-&«'!nth. 


.    A-  Stoft  sunk  At  anftr  of  mo«nd 
'    a-ShtitUin     A3kti  mingled  uiiOi  tht  bprxs. 
-•    fc-  Later  of  bark.  C-  BoudtUr. 

<L0ipe»it  of  ashti    3irvinthi(Ancji. 


73 


in  a  sitting  posture,  but  there  were  no  cist  or  wall  or  relics  near 
it.  The  mounds  explored  by  Mr.  Clarke  were  near  Indian  Ford, 
on  Rock  river.  One  of  these  contained  two  burials  (see  Fig.  10); 
with  three  skeletons  at  the  top  and  seven  skeletons  at  the  bottom. 
Another  large  mound  (see  Fig.  12),  75  feet  in  diameter,  13  feet 
high,  contained  ashes  three  inches  thick  (d);  below  the  ashes  a 
flat  stone  (c);  below  the  stone  decayed  wood  and  bark  (b),  and 
below  these  a  human  skeleton  (a). 

Thus  we  see  that  there  was  no  uniformity  in  the  structure  ot 
the  burial  mounds  of  the  district.  Some  of  them  seem  to  have 
been  solid,  others  stratified.  The  bodies  in  some  were  found  in 
sitting  posture,  in  others  recumbent;  some  of  them  contained 
rude  stone  walls;  others  contained  altars;  there  is  also  evidence 
of  cremation  in  some  of  them;  in  others,  evidence  of  bone  burial. 
The  probability  is  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  here,  and 
that  some  of  the  raxres  or  tribes  continued  to  bury  in  mounds 
until  after  the  settlement  of  the  - 
country  by  the  whites,  as  modern 
relics  are  sometimes  found  in 
them.  The  state  abounds  with 
copper  relics,  but  it  is  uncertain 
whether  these  were  left  by  effigy 
builders,  or  by  subsequent  tribes, 
probably,  however,  by  the  later 
tribes,  since  most  of  them  arc 
surface  finds. 

The  effigies  do  not  often  con 
tain  burials.  One  group,  how 
ever,  has  been  explored  near  Beloit.  Two  of  the  effigies  in  the 
group  contained  bodies  which  had  been  laid  in  rows,  side  by 
side,  eight  in  number,  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  then 
the  effigy  mound  was  erected  over  them.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  effigy  indicates  the  clan  to  which  the  persons  belonged,  but 
it  is  probable  that  the  honor  was  bestowed  upon  some  chief,  and 
his  family,  or  upon  some  band  of  warriors,  but  that  it  was  not 
common  to  bury  in  this  way.  Dr,  Cyrus  Thomas  has  described 
several  burial  mounds  which  were  excavated  by  his  assistants 
near  Prarie  du  Chien,  in  Crawford  and  Vernon  Counties,  Wis. 
One  of  these  was  stratified,  first  a  layer  of  sand,  next  calcined 
bones,  charcoal  and  ashes,  burned  hard,  next  clay  burned  to  a 
brick,  next  a  heap  of  bones,  with  charcoal  and  ashes.  At  the 
bottom  was  a  pit,  filled  with  chocolate  colored  dust.  Another 
contained  two  rude  walls,  three  feet  high  and  eight  feet  long,  be 
tween  them  a  number  of  skeletons,  lying  flat,  the  skeleton  being 
covered  with  a  layer  of  mortar,  this  by  a  layer  of  clay  and  ashes, 
this  again  by  a  layer  of  clay,  and  then  the  top  covering  of  sand 
and  soil.  Dr.  J.  E.  Hoy  has  described  a  mound  at  Racine  which 
contained  a  single  skeleton  in  sitting  posture.  Dr.  J.  N.  De- 


Fiq.  13  —  Mounds  near  Aztlan. 


74 

» 

Harte*  describes  one  at  Madison  as  containing  several  bodies, 
one  above  the  other,  all  of  them  in  sitting  posture,  and  still  an 
other  containing  an  altar  at  the  base,  but  with  no  bodies. 

III.  The  third  district  embraces  the  region  abcut  the  great 
lakes,  from  Detroit  on  through  Northern  Ohio  into  New  York 
State.  This  district  was  occupied  by  the  military  or  warlike 
races,  and  the  mounds  have  been  called  military  works.  The 
distinguishing  peculiarity  of  the  district  is  that  there  are  so 
many  remains  of  old  stockades  in  it.  These  stockades  are  found 
in  great  numbers  in  the  State  of  New  York,  but  they  are  also 
seen  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  as  at  Conneaut,  at  Ashta- 
bula,  at  Painesville,  at  Weymouth,  south  of  Cleveland,  at  Detroit 
and  many  other  points.  The  burial  mounds  of  the  district  are 
for  the  most  part  simple  conical  tumuli,  some  of  which  may  have 
been  used  as  lookout  stations  as  well  as  for  burials.  There  are, 
however,  a  few  large  mounds,  and  these  we  shall  speak  of 
especially.  There  is  at  Detroit  a  massive  burial  mound,  seven 
hundred  feet  long,  four  hundred  feet  wide,  and  not  less  than  forty 
feet  high.  It  is  situated  near  the  river  Rouge,  three  miles 
below  the  city.  Mr.  Bela  Hubbard  says  of  it:  "From  the 
immense  number  of  skeletons  found  in  it  and  the  mode  of  their 
occurrence,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  it  is  one  of  those 
national  sepulchres  of  the  Huron  and  Algonquin  tribes,  where 
were  deposited  the  remains  of  their  dead.  It  affords  certain 
evidence  that  cremation  was  practiced.  Much  charcoal  and 
ashes  were  found,  mingled  with  burned  bones.  With  these  were 
many  pieces  of  large  pots,  but  all  broken.  The  mound  contained 
so-called  'cellars'  or  '  altars'." 

Here  were  also  the  celebrated  perforated  skulls,  which  have 
been  so  fully  described  by  Mr.  Henry  Gillman,  skulls  which 
evidently  belonged  to  a  rude  hunter  or  military  race.  The  situ 
ation  is  such  as  would  be  chosen  by  the  mound  builders  over  all 
others.  For  a  monument  to  their  dead  it  is  most  picturesque.  It 
was  visible  from  a  great  distance  in  every  direction  and  at  the 
same  time  commanded  a  view  of  both  the  water  and  the  land 
for  many  miles. f 

The  burial  mounds  in  this  region  have  a  general  resemblance. 
They  are  terrace-like  embankments  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet 
in  height,  which  run  parallel  with  the  river  or  lake  shore.  They 
are  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial.  They  contain  relics,  the 
debris  of  camps,  as  well  as  burials.  The  bones  taken  from  them 
are  marked  with  platyc  nemism.  showing  that  the  people  who 
dwelt  here  were  hunters,  since  narrow,  sharp  shin  bones  are 
characteristic  of  hunters.  The  burial  mounds  of  New  York 
State  differ  from  those  of  Michigan,  in  that  they  are  conical 
tumuli,  and  are  wholly  artificial.  Some  of  them  contain  modern 

*  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  I,  Page 200. 

fMemorials  of  Haifa  Century,  by  Bela  Hubbard,  p.  229. 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  IN  OHIO. 


relics.     They  have  been  ascribed  to  the  Iroquois,  while  those  of 
Michigan  belong  to  the  Algonquins.* 

Thus  we  see  that  in  this  district  also  the  burial  mounds  served 
a  double  purpose;  namely,  of  lookouts  and  as  depositories  for  the 
dead.  The  bone  burial  seems  to  have  been  prevalent  in  the 
district.  It  is  evident  that  there  was  also  here  a  succession  of 
races,  but  that  all  of  the  races  were  of  a  war-like  character.  Mr. 
Henry  Gilman  thinks  that  he  has  found  traces  of  extreme  antiq 
uity,  but  others  think  that  the  burials  were  of  modern  races. 

IV.  The  middle  Mississippi  district  is  next.  This  includes 
the  works  in  the  Missouri  valley,  as  well  as  in  Missouri,  Arkan 
sas,  Western  Tennessee  and  Southern  Illinois.  It  is  character 
ized  by  stone  vaults  or  chambered  tombs,  by  village  sites  with 
lodge  circles  and  a  few  pyramidal  mounds. 

Prof.  G.  C.  Broadhead  has  spoken  of  certain  mounds  in  Pike 
County,  Mo.,  which  contain  vaults  constructed  of  lime  stone. 
Two  such  vaults  are  described,  one  of  them  having  a  passage 
way  at  the  side.  This  one  was  nine  feet  square,  and  two  to  three 


Fig.  15 — 8t.one  Vault  in  Missouri. 

feet  square.  It  contained  a  single  chamber.  See  Fig.  15.  He 
quotes,  however,  from  a  book  published  in  1823  (Beck's  Gazet 
teer).  It  appears  that  a  chambered  structure,  with  two  rectan 
gular  chambers,  and  an  oval  chamber  between  them,  having  no 
communication  with  the  others  was  found.  This  wras  a  stone 
structure,  was  entirely  above  the  ground,  and  is  anomalous  jn 
this  respect.  A  similar  structure,  with  four  rooms,  is  also  spoken 
of,  one  of  the  rooms  (g)  containing  a  few  human  bones,  the 
other  (h)  having  two  entrances.  See  Fig.  16.  Mr.  E.  B.  West, 
of  Kansas  City,  has  discovered  twenty-five  mounds,  Iccated  on 
the  highest  points  of  the  Missouri  bluffs,  the  most  of  them  con 
taining  rock  vaults.  Prof.  Broadhead  has  described  three  others 
which  contained  regularly  built  vaults,  the  walls  being  about 
three  feet  high,  enclosing  a  space  eight  feet  square,  with  right 
angles.  The  walls  were  built  up  with  a  regular  perpendicular 
face,  more  true  to  the  line  than  many  so-called  masons  would 
place  them,  the  layers  of  lime  stone  being  very  regular.  The 
crypts  appear  to  have  been  built  above  ground,  and  then  to  have 
been  covered  with  earth  afterwards.  The  vaults  contained  bodies 
in  sittingposture,  with  knees  bent,  the  hands  resting  on  the  knees. 


*See  Sixth  Annual  Report,  Peabody  Museum,  page  13. 


7d 


Works  on  No'uc  Cr., 
Pike  Co.,  Mo. 


The  vaults  had  openings  or  entrances,  somewhat  resembling  the 
dolmens  of  Europe,  though  there  are  no  such  long  passages  as 
arc  there  found. 

Burial  in  vaults  was  common  in  this  country.  Paul  Schu 
macher  describes  one  found  among  the  kitchen  middens  of  the 
northwest  coast,*  which  contained  bodies  in  a  recumbent  pos 
ture.  There  are  also  chambered  mounds  in  Ohio,  Kentucky, 
Tennessee  and  West  Virginia.  These,  however,  are  destitute  of 
the  stone  work.  They  are  vaults  which  have  been  built  up  by 
logs  and  covered  over  with  poles;  some  of  them  also  having  a 
floor  of  logs  or  poles.  The  celebrated  Grave  Creek  mound  con- 
taindd  two  vaults,  one  above  the  other,  constructed  in  this  way. 
Squier  and  Davis  discovered  vaults  in  the  burial  mounds  near 
Chillicothe,  which  were  built  of  logs,  and  Prof.  E.  B.  Andrews 

discovered  anoth 
er  near  Athens,  O. 
Prof.  P  u  t  n  a  m 
found  a  vault  con 
structed  of  logs  in 
the  Turner  group 
in  Tennessee.  Dr. 
Cyrus  T  ho  mas 
has  d  i  s  c  o  v  ered 
one  in  Iowa  which 
contained  a  stone 
vault  which  was 
arched  overhead, 
the  arch  being 
formed  by  flat  un- 
worked  stone,  laid 
up  without  mor- 

Fig.  16-Stone  Vaults.  tar>    the   layers    of 

stone  projecting  over  the  vault  until  they  reached  the  top,  when 
a  single  flat  stone  was  placed  above  as  the  final  covering.  In 
this  vault  was  a  single  skeleton  in  sitting  posture,  with  a  small 
earthen  vessel  near  him.  The  mound  was  found  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Little  Iowa.  We  call  attention  to  this  arched  roof.  It 
was  not  a  true  arch,  but  was  such  an  arch  as  is  common  in  vari 
ous  parts  of  the  country.  The  Aztecs  built  arched  corridors,  but 
they  built  them  in  the  same  way  that  this  rude  vault,  by  pro 
jecting  the  layers  of  stone  one  above  the  other  and  projecting 
them  out  at  the  top  until  they  met.  The  bee  hive  huts  of  Ire 
land  were  built  in  this  way,  but  were  without  anv  earth  covering. 
We  call  attention  to  the  sitting  posture  in  this  vaulted  tomb. 
It  is  the  common  posture  in  tombs  of  this  kind.  V/e  give  cuts 
of  this  which  show  how  the  vaults  were  built.  Figs.  15  and  16. 
Prof.  Swallow  has  described  a  chambered  mound  which  is 


Fig.  5. 


Fig.  6. 


Fig.  7. 


*See  Smithsonian  Report,  1873,  p.  359. 


77 

very  interesting.  It  is  situated  near  New  Madrid,  and  is  called 
the  Big  Mound.  It  is  elliptical  in  form,  600  feet  in  circumfer 
ence,  20  feet  high;  it  contained  a  room  which  was  lathed  and 
plastered,  not  as  modern  rooms  are,  for  there  was  no  nailing  of 
the  lath,  and  the  plaster  was  of  mud  rather  than  of  lime.  The 
room  was  built  by  putting  poles  together  like  the  rafters  of  a 
house,  then  placing  split  cane  on  the  poles  and  applying  mud- 
plaster  outside  and  inside.  The  inside  plaster  was  covered  with 
red  ochre.  The  earth  of  the  mound  was  placed  over  the  rafters. 
The  room  contained  bones,  pottery  vessels,  jars,  discoidal  stones, 
polished  celts,  chisels,  stone  axes.  The  pottery  vessels  were, 
many  of  them,  made  in  the  shape  of  idols,  mainly  females,  in  a 
squatting  posture.  A  pipe  of  sandstone  in  the  shape  of  a  frog, 
One  hoe  of  brown  flint  was  very  large,  II  inches  by  5.  These 
relics  are  pronounced  by  Professor  Putman  as  belonging  to  the 
mound  period.  They  resemble  those  found  by  Mr.  Dunning  in 
the  Tennessee  mounds.  The  pottery  taken  from  the  mound  is 
the  largest  collection  ever  found  in  one  place,  and  is  very  inter 
esting,  since  it  shows  great  skill  in  moulding  pottery,  and  a  great 
variety  of  form,  too. 

We  find,  here,  an  approach  to  the  modern  style  of  building 
rooms,  at  least  an  advanced  type  of  prehistoric  structures. 
Square  chambers  with  straight  walls  were  uncommon  among 
the  Mound-builders,  although  they  were  quite  common  among 
the  Cliff  Dwellers  and  Pueblos.  The  plastering  of  rooms  or 
apartments  was  also  uncommon,  although  many  plastered  rooms 
Jiave  been  found  among  the  Cliff  Dwellers.  It  is  possible  there 
was  a  borrowing  of  ideas  from  the  people  of  the  west ;  and  that 
the  tombs,  like  the  pottery,  owed  their  shape  to  the  contact 
which  the  people  ol  Missouri  had  with  these  semi-civilized  races. 
The  pottery  generally  is  without  paint,  but  a  few  specimens  have 
been  found  with  painted  ornamentation  somewhat  resembling  the 
Pueblo  pottery. 

V.  We  now  turn  to  the  stone  cists.  These  resemble  the 
stone  chambers,  and  might  be  classed  with  triem,  especially  as 
the  pottery  found  in  connection  with  them  is  so  similar.  They 
are,  however,  found  in  another  district,  the  district  which  is  called 
Appalachian.  These  stone  cists  are,  however,  not  confined  to 
one  district,  but  are  scattered  far  and  wide,  some  of  them  having 
been  found  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  others  in  the  State  of  Georgia, 
and  many  of  them  in  Southern  Illinois.  In  Georgia  the  stone 
cists  have  been  found  within  the  platform  pyramids — a  very  sin 
gular  circumstance,  considing  the  probable  age  and  origin  of 
these  pyramids.  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas  speaks  of  this  as  an  item 
of  much  interest  to  archaeologists.  He  described  one  explored 
at  Etowah,  Barto  County,  which  contained  relics,  although  the 

*See  8th  Annual  Report  of  Peabody  Museum  page  20,  and  llth  Annual  Report 
page  316. 


78 

mound  belonged  to  the  southern  type,  as  it  was  of  modern 
origin.  He  thinks  that  these  stone  graves  indicate  a  Shawnec 
or  closely  allied  element,  where  we  should  expect  to  find  only 
Creeks,  or  some  branch  of  the  Chahta-Muscogee  family.  He, 
however,  draws  the  distinction  between  a  small  mound  which 
was  explored  and  the  large  platform  mound  which  has  become 
so  celebrated,  as  well  as  between  the  relics  contained  in  the 
small  mound  and  those  which  were  found  in  the  large  one.  He 
states  that  the  small  mound  contained  relics  which  were  not 
Cherokee  in  their  origin.  This  would  accord  with  history.  The 
Shawnees  were  a  very  migratory  tribe.  They  were  found  at  one 
time  on  the  Shawnee  river  in  South  Carolina;  again  on  the  Del 
aware  river,  and  then  on  the  Ohio  river,  in  Shawneetown,  and 
then  on  the  Cumberland  river,  and  at  times  wandered  over 
Illinois.  The  stone  graves  seem  to  mark  their  track.  Many  of 
them  were  probably  of  modern  origin,  and  their  builders  occu 
pied  the  district  subsequent  to  other  tribes.  The  people  who 
were  buried  with  vases  are  to  whom  the  largest  number  of  earth 
works  belong. 

As  to  the  earth-works,  we  would  say  that  there  are  many 
kinds,  but  the  typical  work  is  the  square  enclosure  which  con 
tains  burial  mounds  and  pyramidal  mounds  in  close  contact, 
the  pyramidal  mounds  having  been  the  sites  of  the  public  edi 
fices,  either  council  houses  or  rotundas,  but  the  burial  mounds 
having  been  used  by  the  clans  which  occupied  the  enclosure, 
one  clan  or  tribe  following  another,  making  the  burial  mounds 
to  contain  a  record  of  the  succession  of  tribes.  This  is  an  inter 
esting  point.  Tribes  differ  very  much  in  their  burial  customs, 
and  yet  they  resemble  one  another  in  the  tribal  organization  and 
iVdomestic  architecture  so  much  that  they  could  use  the  same  earth 
works  for  defence  and  the  same  platform  for  council  houses  or 
rotundas,  though  the  domiciliary  mounds  do  not  contain  as  dis 
tinct  a  record  as  the  burial  mounds. 


fn 
I 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  "  SACRED  ENCLOSURES"  OF  OHIO. 

SUN  WORSHIP  AND  SEPRENT  WORSHIP  EMBODIED  IN  THEM. 

In  treating  of  the  Mound-builders' works  heretofore  we  ha\c 
divided  them  into  several  classes,  and  have  stated  that  the  differ 
ent  classes  were  found  in  different  districts,  the  effigy  mounds  in 
one,  the  burial  mounds  in  another,  the  stockades  in  another, 
the  so-called  "sacred  enclosures"  in  another,  and  the  pyramid 
mounds  in  still  another,  the  whole  habitat  being  filled  with 
works  which  were  distinctive  and  peculiar,  but  which  were  al 
ways  correlated  to  their  surroundings. 

It  may  seem  singular  to  some  that  we  should  thus  divide  the 
earth-works  into  these  different  classes,  and  should  confine  each 
class  to  a  limited  district,  making  them  so  distinct  from  one  an 
other,  but  this  only  proves  that  the  people  who  once  inhabited 
the  Mississippi  valley,  and  whom  we  call  Mound-builders,  were 
far  from  being  one  people,  but  were  very  diverse  in  their  char 
acter,  and  that  their  diversity  expressed  itself  in  their  works, 
their  religious  belief,  their  tribal  organization,  their  social  customs, 
their  domestic  habits,  their  ethnic  tastes,  their  modes  of  life,  all 
having  been  embodied  in  the  tokens  which  we  are  now  studying. 
We  are  to  bear  this  thought  in  mind  whi-le  we  proceed  to  con 
sider  the  works  which  are  said  to  belong  to  the  fourth  class,  and 
which  we  have  named  "  sacred  enclosures".  The  region  where 
these  enclosures  are  most  numerous  is  that  which  is  situated  on 
the  Ohio  River  and  more  specifically  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  of  Ohio.  We  shall  therefore  confine  ourselves  to  this  dis 
trict,  but  would  at  the  same  time  have  it  understood  that  it  is 
because  the  works  are  here  so  typical  that  we  treat  them  so  ex 
clusively. 

We  propose  in  this  chapter  to  consider  the  works  of  this  district 
with  the  especial  view  of  enquiring  about  their  character  and 
their  uses. 

I.  Let  us  first  enquire  about  the  symbolism  which  is  repre 
sented  in  them.  The  works  of  Southern  Ohio  have  been  regarded 
by  many  as  symbolic,  and  the  symbolism  in  them  is  said  by 
some  to  be  that  expressive  of  sun  worship.  What  is  more,  the 
sun  worship  which  appeared  here  seems  to  have  embodied  itself 
in  those  works  which  were  most  common  and  which  were  also- 
very  useful,  the  enclosures  which  are  so  numerous  here  having 
been  symbolic. 

i.  This,  then,  is  our  first  enquiry,  Is  there  anything  in  the  shape 


82 

of  the  enclosures  which  should  lead  us  to  think  that  they  were 
distinctive!?  There  are  many  kinds  of  earth-works  in  Southern 
Ohio,  many  of  which  are  of  the  same  character  as  those  found 
elsewhere,  but  the  most  of  them  are  works  which  might  be 
called  enclosures.  These  enclosures  have  a  great  variety  of 
shapes,  and  were  undoubtedly  used  for  different  purposes,  though 
the  purposes  are  now  somewhat  difficult  to  determine.  The 
typical  shape  is  perhaps  that  of  the  square  and  circle,  though  there 
are  many  circles  without  squares  and  squares  without  circles,  the 
variation  passing  from  one  figure  to  the  other.  Many  of  the 
enclosures  are  irregular,  with  no  definite  shape;  others,  however, 
have  shapes  which  are  so  definite  and  regular  as  to  give  the  idea 
that  they  were  symbolic — the  crescent,  the  circle,  the  horse-shoe, 
the  ellipse,  the  cross,  and  many  other  symbols  being  embodied 
in  them.  Some  of  the  enclosures  are  very  large,  the  walls  about 
them  being  several  miles  in  length,  giving  the  idea  that  they 
were  used  for  defensive  purposes;  others  are  very  small,  the  dis 
tance  across  them  being  only  a  few  feet,  giving  the  idea  that  they 
were  lodge  circles.  Some  of  the  enclosures  are  full  of  burial 
mounds;  others  contain  no  mounds  whatever,  but  are  mere  open 
areas,  areas  which  may  have  been  used  for  village  residences. 
Some  of  the  enclosures  are  made  up  by  single  walls,  walls  on 
which  possible  stockades  may  have  been  erected;  others  have 
double  walls,  a  ditch  being  between  them.  Some  ol  them  are 
isolated  circles,  enclosures  separated  from  all  others;  others  pre 
sent  circles  in  clusters,  the  clusters  arranged  in  circles,  so  making 
an  enclosure  within  an  enclosure.  It  is  remarkable  that  there 
should  have  been  so  many  different  shapes  to  the  earth-works  in 
this  region.  These  shapes  vary  from  the  circle  to  the  ellipse, 
from  the  ellipse  to  the  oblong,  from  the  oblong  to  the  square, 
from  the  square  to  the  large,  irregular  enclosure.  A  map  ot  the 
region  looks  like  a  chart  which  contains  all  the  geometric  figures, 
and  astonishes  one  when  he  thinks  that  these  are  earth-works 
containing  areas,  all  of  which  were  once  used  for  practical  pur 
poses,  and  embodied  the  life  of  the  people.  See  map  of  works  in 
the  Scioto  valley.  The  uses  to  which  these  enclosures  were  subject 
are  unknown ;  it  is  supposed  that  some  of  them  were  for  defenses ; 
others  for  villages;  some  of  them  were  undoubtedly  used  for  burial 
places;  others  for  sacrificial  purposes;  some  of  them  were  the 
sites  of  houses,  mere  lodge  circles;  others  were  enclosures  in 
which  temples  were  undoubtedly  erected;  some  of  them  were 
used  as  places  of  amusement,  dance  circles  and  race  courses , 
others  were  probably  used  as  places  of  religious  assembly,  estufas 
or  sacred  houses;  some  of  them  contain  effigies,  the  effigies 
giving  to  them  a  religious  significance. 

2.  The  symbolic  character  of  the  enclosures  is  the  next  point 
of  enquiry.  This  has  impressed  many  writers;  for  this  reason  they 
have  been  called  sacred  enclosures.  The  term  has  been  criticised 


83 

and  rejected  by  some,  but  it  seems  to  us  appropriate,  and  we 
shall  use  it  as  being  expressive  of  the  real  character  of  the  works 
of  the  region.  We  take  up  the  enclosures  of  this  district  with 
the  idea  that  many  of  them  were  used  for  sacred  purposes,  and 
that  a  peculiar  superstition  was  embodied  in  the  most  of  them. 
What  that  superstition  was  we  are  not  quite  prepared  to  say,  but 
the  conjecture  is  that  sun  worship  here  obtained  in  great  force. 
It  sometimes  seems  as  if  the  sun  worship  was  joined  with  ser 
pent  worship,  and  that  the  phallic  symbol  was  given  by  some  of 
the  earth -works.  Whether  these  works  were  all  used  by  one 
people,  a  people  who  were  acquainted  with  all  of  the  symbols 
spoken  of,  or  were  erected  by  successive  races,  one  using  one 
symbol  and  the  other  another,  is  a  question.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
we  conclude  that  the  district 
is  full  of  earth-works  which 
were  symbolic  in  their  char 
acter,  and  which  are  properly 
called  sacred  enclosures. 

We  give  a  series  of  cuts  to 
illustrate  these  points.  These 
are  actual  earth-works.  One 
is  the  temple  platform,  found 
at  Marietta  (Fig.  i);  the  sec 
ond  is  a  platform  with  the  ad 
joining  circular  enclosure, 
found  at  Highbank  (Fig.  2); 

the  third  is  the  Small  Circle  With  **'  '-*W«™  <*  Marietta. 

the  small  enclosure  within  it,  found  opposite  Portsmouth  (Fig.  3). 
These  earth-works  are  all  small,  ranging  from  50  to  150  feet  in 
diameter.  The  fourth  is  the  large  double  enclosure  consisting 
of  the  square  and  circle,  found  at  Circleville  (Fig.  4);  the  fifth  is 
the  large  octagon  and  circle,  found  at  Newark  (Fig.  5).  The  last 
two  enclosures  might  be  measured  by  rods,  as  there  are  about 
as  many  rods  in  them  as  there  are  feet  in  the  former  works.  The 
map  of  the  works  at  Portsmouth  (Fig.  6)  contains  many  other 
figures,  viz  :  Four  concentric  circles  at  one  end,  two  horse-shoe 
enclosures  and  circles  in  the  center,  a  large  square  enclosure  at 
the  west  end,  the  whole  making  a  very  elaborate  and  complicatd 
system  of  symbolic  works,  the  religious  element  being  every 
where  manifest  in  the  locality. 

1  3.  Let  us  next  consider  the  symbols  which  we  may  regard 
as  typical  and  peculiar  to  the  district.  We  have  said  that  there 
are  different  kinds  of  enclosures  in  this  region,  but  the  enclosure 
which  is  the  most  striking  is  the  one  composed  of  two  figures — 
the  circle  and  the  square  and  combination.  This  is  not  only 
common  in  the  district,  but  is  peculiar  to  it,  as  it  is  very  seldom 
seen  elsewhere.  The  reasons  for  this  particular  type  of  earth 
work  being  found  in  Southern  Ohio  are  unknown.  It  would 


84 

seem,  however,  as  if  the  people  which  formerly  dwelt  here  had 
reached  a  particular  stage  of  progress,  had  adopted  a  particular 
social  organization,  had  practiced  a  particular  set  of  customs,  and 
had  made  these  earth-works  to  be  expressive  of  them.  It  some 
times  seems  also  as  if  a  peculiar  religious  cult  had  been  adopted 
and  that  this  was  embodied  and  symbolized  in  the  earth-works. 
The  figures  ot  the  square  and  circle  were  probably  symbolic,  and 
the  religion  which  was  embodied  in  them  was  probably  sun 
worship.  How  sun  worship  came  to  be  adopted  by  the  people 
is  a  mystery.  It  may  have  arisen  in  connection  with  serpent 
worship,  the  two  having  been  the  outgrowth  of  the  natural  super 
stition,  and  so  might  be  pronounced  to  be  indigenous  in  this 
region,  or  they  may  have  been  introduced  from  other  and  distant 
localities,  either  from  Great  Britain,  by  way  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  or  from  the  Asiatic  continent,  by  way  of  the  Pacific — 
Mexico  and  Central  America  having  been  the  original  starting 
point  on  this  continent,  and  the  cult  having  spread  from  the 

central  place  over  the 
continent  eastward. 
Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam 
in  his  article  on  the 
great  serpent  takes 
the  latter  position,  and 
says,  "To  this  south 
western  region,  with 
its  many  Asiatic  fea 
tures  of  art  and  faith, 
we  are  constantly 

Fig.  2.— Platform  and  Circle  at  Highbank.  forced  by  OUT  investi 

gations  as  we  look  for  the  source  of  the  builders  of  the  older 
works  of  the  Ohio  Valley."  He  refers,  however,  to  the  com 
bination  of  natural  features  with  artificial  forms  contained  in  the 
great  serpent,  and  says  this  probably  could  not  be  found  again 
in  any  part  of  the  great  route  along  which  the  people  must  have 
journeyed.  He  refers  to  the  remarkable  discovery  by  Dr.  Phene 
of  an  interesting  mound  in  Argyleshire,  in  Scotland,  as  contain 
ing  the  same  elements,  the  natural  hill  and  the  artificial  shape 
giving  evidence  of  serpent  worship  in  the  serpent  form,  the  altar 
or  burial  place  at  one  end  forming  the  head,  and  the  standing 
stones  along  the  ridge  marking  the  serpent's  spine.  These  facts 
would  indicate  that  serpent  worship  in  Ohio  had  come  from 
Great  Britain  and  had  been  first  introduced  by  the  mound-build 
ers  here.  Possibly  the  serpent  worship  in  Mexico  may  have 
been  introduced  from  the  other  side  by  way  of  Polynesia. 

4.  The  inquiry  which  we  are  to  institute  next  is  whether 
serpent  worship  and  sun  worship  in  Ohio  were  not  prac 
ticed  by  two  classes  of  people,  the  one  the  successors  to  the 
other.  This  inquiry  will  be  borne  in  mind  as  we  proceed  to  the 


85 


description  ot  the  enclosures.  The  Natchez  were  sun  worship 
ers.  There  is  a  tradition  that  the  Natchez  once  inhabited  Southern 
Ohio.  The  Dakotas  had  the  serpent  symbol  among  them.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  the  Dakotas  once  dwelt  in  Ohio.  This  would 
show  that  the  two  cults  were  successive  rather  than  contempor 
aneous.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  symbolism  of  the  early 
races  of  mound-builders  was  frequently  combined  with  practical 
uses.  The  religion  or  superstition  of  the  people  required  that 
defensive  enclosures,  as  well  as  village  sites,  should  embody  the 
symbols  as  thoroughly  as  did  the  places  of  sacrifice  or  the  burial 
places.  The  earth-works  of  Southern  Ohio  have  been  called 
sacred  enclosures.  If  our  supposition  is  true  the  term  is  a  cor 
rect  one.  They  were  village  enclosures,  but  were  at  the  same 
time  sacred  to  the  sun.  We  shall  take  the  enclosures  which  are 
typical  and  ask  the  question  whether  these  were  not  the  villages 
of  sun  worshippers. 

5.  Let  us  examine  the  district,  and  compare  it  with  other 
districts  where  sun  worship 
has  existed.  We  learn  about 
the  district  and  its  limits 
from  the  character  of  the 
earth-works.  This  partic 
ular  class  of  earth-works 
which  we  are  describing  is 
only  found  in  a  limited  dis 
trict.  We  begin  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Muskingum 
River,  where  are  the  inter 
esting  works  of  Marietta. 
This  river  has  a  number  of 
enclosures  upon  it.  We  pass 
next  to  the  Hocking 
Creek,  where  the  enclosures  are  not  so  numerous,  and  yet 
the  same  class  of  works  abound  here.  Next  comes  the 
Scioto  River,  with  its  very  interesting  series  of  earth  works, 
those  at  Portsmouth,  Chillicothe  and  Circleville  being  the  most 
prominent.  Paint  Creek  and  Brush  Creek  flow  into  the  Scioto. 
On  these  there  are  some  very  interesting  earth  works,  the 
majority  of  them  being  village  enclosures.  Next  to  this  is 
Adams  County,  the  County  in  which  the  great  serpent  is  situated, 
the  Brush  Creek  in  this  county  being  different  from  that  which 
flows  into  the  Scioto.  We  then  pass  over  two  or  three  counties 
until  we  reach  the  Little  Miami  River.  Here  we  find  the  remark 
able  fort  called  Fort  Ancient,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  at 
Cincinnati,  village  enclosures.  These  enclosures  are,  to  be  sure, 
now  destroyed,  but  descriptions  of  them  have  been  preserved, 
and  trom  these  we  find  that  they  were  very  similar  to  those 
situated  on  Paint  Creek  and  on  the  Scioto  River.  Passing  still 


Fig.  3.— Circle  at  Portsmouth. 


86 


further  to  the  west,  we  come  to  the  Great  Miami.  The  works  on 
this  river  are  mainly  fortifications  and  large  lookout  mounds; 
the  fortifications  at  Hamilton,  Colerain  and  Piqua,and  the  look 
out  at  Miamisburg,  being  most  prominent.  There  are,  however, 
at  Alexandria  and  several  other  places  village  enclosures  of 
exactly  the  same  type  as  those  found  at  Chillicothe.  This  takes 
us  across  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  White  River  is  a  branch  of 
the  Great  Miami.  It  rises  in  the  central  part  of  the  State  of 
Indiana  and  flows  southeast.  The  White  River  seems  to  have 
marked  the  boundary  of  this  particular  class  of  works.  There 
are  no  village  enclosures  of  the  type  found  in  Ohio  west  of  the 
White  River.  If  there  are,  we  are  not  aware  of  their  existence. 
There  are,  to  be  sure,  many  large  forts  or  defensive  enclosures 
scattered  along  the  Ohio  River  on  both  sides,  but  they  are  not 
works  which  we  would  call  village  enclosures.  These  forts  have 
been  described  by  various  writers,  the  most  prominent  of  them 

being  the  one  in  Clark 
A  County,  near  Charles- 

town,  Ind.,  which  has 
been  described  by  Prof. 
E.  T.  Cox.*  As  to  the 
northern  boundary  of 
the  district,  we  find  it 
on  the  watershed,  where 
the  rivers  flow  both 
ways,  to  the  north  and 
to  the  south.  Here  a 
line  of  earth-works  is 
found  extending  across 
the  State,  about  the  same  distance  from  the  Ohio  River.  It  makes 
a  cordon  of  village  enclosures,  some  of  them  being  as  important 
as  any  found  in  the  State.  Among  these  are  the  works  at  Circle- 
ville,  Newark,  Alexandersville,  near  Dayton,  and  the  works  on  the 
White  River,  at  Cambridge  and  New  Garden,  in  Wayne  County,! 
all  of  them  being  near  the  head  of  canoe  navigation. 

We  have  thus  given  the  map  of  the  district.  It  is  a  map  which 
thus  includes  all  the  earth-works — military,  sacred,  village  enclos 
ures,  effigies,  lookouts  and  all.  We  do  not  ascribe  them  all  to 
one  period  nor  to  one  race,  but  we  speak  of  them  as  found  in  the 
district.  The  typical  work  is  the  enclosure,  the  village  enclosures 
being  more  numerous  than  the  defensive.  We  have  thought 
best  to  call  it  by  the  name  of  the  district  of  the  village  enclos 
ures,  though  the  term  sacred  enclosures  is  appropriate.  We  see 
in  this  map  the  locality  which  was  occupied  by  sun  worshipers. 
It  is  also  a  locality  in  which  serpent  worship  appeared  to  be 
prevalent. 


Fig.  it. — Circle  and  Square  at  Circleville. 


*  Ree  Geological  Survey  of  Indiana,  1873,  p.  122. 
tSee  Geological  Repoit  of  Indiana,  1878,  descri] 


escriy-tion,  Mr.  J.  C.  McPberson. 


87 


6.  Let  us  consider  the  symbolism  in  the  shapes  and  sizes  of  the 
enclosures.  We  have  said  that  the  shape  was  that  of  the  square 
and  circle.  This  shape  is  everywhere  present  within  the  district, 
though  with  variations.  It  is  remarkable  that  there  should  be 
such  a  uniformity.  It  does  not  seem  likely  that  the  uniformity 
would  rise  from  accident,  but  it  is  more  likely  thatthere  was  a  sig 
nificance  to  it.  The  uniformity  has  impressed  many  authors. 
The  early  explorers  all  mention  it  as  a  very  striking  element  in 
the  earth-works  of  the  region.  There  has  been  a  degree  of 
skepticism  in  reference  to  "this  point,  but  the  recent  survey  by 
the  Ethnological  Bureau  confirms  the  old  impression.  The 
statements  of  the  early  explorers  are  confirmed  by  the  last  sur 
vey.  We  give  here  a  few 
fragmentary  quotations  to 
show  that  this  is  the  case. 
The  old  authors  claimed  that 
the  squares  were  perfect 
squares,  the  circles  perfect 
circles.  The  new  exploration 
seems  to  confirm  this  rather 
than  to  refute  it.  We  take 
the  enclosures  in  the  Scioto 
Valley  to  illustrate.  There 
are  perhaps  more  typical 
works  in  this  valley  than  any 
where  else  in  the  State.  The 
following  is  the  testimony  of 
Dr.  Thomas  in  reference  to 
these.  ''The  circle  at  High- 
bank  is  a  perfect  one."  "  The 
old  survey  agrees  closely  with 
the  new  survey."  "The  circles 
at  Paint  Creek  have  geomet 
rical  regularity."  "  The  fig 
ures  of  the  works  which 

were  personally  examined  by  Squier  and  Davis  are  generally 
correct."  "The  circle  at  Highbank  is  similar  in  size  and  other  re 
spects  to  the  observatory  circle  at  Newark,  and,  like  that,  is 
connected  with  an  octagon."  "We  see  in  this  group  the  tendency 
to  combine  circles,  octagons  and  parallels  as  at  Newark,  making 
it  probable  that  the  works  at  both  points  are  due  to  one  people. 
According  to  Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  the  circle  is  a  perfect 
one.  The  diameter,  which,  as  will  be  seen  by  what  follows,  agrees 
very  closely  with  the  results  of  the  re-survey."  "The  somewhat 
unexpected  results  in  this  and  the  observatory  circle  are,  first, 
that  the  figure  is  so  nearly  a  true  circle,  and,  second,  that  the 
radius  is  an  almost  exact  multiple  of  the  surveyor's  chain."  These 
remarkable  admissions  are  made  by  one  who  denies  their  Euro- 


pean  origin  and  who  makes  them  the  work  of  Indians  similar  to 
the  modern  tribes,  and  who  says  there  is  nothing  in  the  form  or 
arrangement  that  is  inconsistent  with  the  Indian  usages  and 
ideas,  and  nothing  in  their  form  or  construction  consistent  with 
the  idea  that  their  conception  is  due  to  European  influence.  With 
these  admissions  we  are  warranted  in  going  back  to  the  first 
descriptions  which  were  given  by  the  early  explorers,  and  to 
speak  of  these  works  as  perfect  squares  and  perfect  circles,  and 
to  draw  our  conclusions  that  they  were  symbolic  as  well  as 
practical  or  useful  structures.  Mr.  Atwater  speaks  of  the  circle 
in  the  village  enclosures  at  Paint  Creek,  and  says  "  the  area  of 
the  squares  was  just  twenty-seven  acres."  Squier  and  Davis  also 
speak  of  this  area  of  twenty-seven  acres  being  a  common  one. 
The  comparison  is  drawn  by  Squier  and  Davis  between  the 
works  at  Newark  and  those  at  Hopeton  and  Paint  Creek.  Ex 
traordinary  coincidences  are  exhibited  between  the  details, 
though  the  works  are  seventy  miles  apart.  He  says  the  square 
has  the  same  area  with  the  rectangle  belonging  to  the  Hopeton 
works  and  with  the  octagon  belonging  to  Highbank.  The  octa 
gon  has  the  same  area  with  the  large  irregular  square  at  Marietta, 
a  place  which  is  still  further  away  from  Newark.  The  conviction 
is  forced  upon  us,  notwithstanding  all  the  skepticism  that  has 
existed,  that  there  was  a  common  measurement,  and  that  the 
square  and  circle  were  symbolic,  though  we  do  not  say  whether 
they  were  erected  by  Indians  or  by  some  other  people. 

7.  Another  argument  is  found  in  the  fact  that  walls  in  the 
shape  of  crescents  are  very  common.  These  crescent-shaped 
walls  are  generally  found  inside  of  the  smaller  circle  and  consti 
tute  a  double  wall  around  a  portion  of  the  circle.  There  are 
also  many  works  where  there  are  concentric  circles,  containing 
a  mound  in  the  center,  whose  shape  would  indicate  that  it  was 
devoted  to  sun  worship  and  whose  contents  would  prove  that 
they  were  used  for  religious  purposes.  A  notable  specimen  of 
this  is  found  at  Portsmouth,  where  there  are  four  concentric  cir 
cles  and  a  mound  in  the  center,  the  situation  and  height  of  the 
mound  giving  the  impression  to  the  early  explorers  that  it  was 
used  for  religious  purposes  and  was  a  sun  symbol.  Concentric 
circles  and  circles  containing  crescents  and  mounds  are  also 
spoken  of  by  Mr.  Caleb  Atwater  as  having  been  found  at  Paint 
Creek  and  at  Circleville.  The  large  irregular  enclosure  at  one 
of  these  works  contained  seventy-seven  acres,  and  had  eight 
gateways,  another  had  eighty-four  acres  and  six  gateways;  but 
outside  of  one  of  these  enclosures  was  a  third  circle  sixty  rods 
in  diameter,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a  similar  circle  abcutsix 
rods  in  diameter,  or  about  one  tenth  of  the  larger  circle.  Here 
we  have  the  large  enclosures  which  were  undoubtedly  used  for 
village  sites,  but  at  the  same  time  we  have  small  circles  that  were 
probably  used  for  religious  purposes. 


MAP  OF  VILLAGE  AT  MARIETTA. 


89 

Mr.  Atwater  thinks  that  the  large  circles  were  used  for  re 
ligious  as  well  as  for  practical  purposes.  He  speaks  of  the 
circle  at  Circleville.  This  was  sixty-nine  rods  in  diameter, 
the  walls  were  twenty  feet  high,  measuring  from  the  bottom 
of  the  ditch,  there  being  two  walls,  one  inside  of  the  other, 
with  a  ditch  between.  Within  the  circle  there  was  a  round 
mound,  ten  feet  high,  thirty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  top,  and  around 
the  mound  a  crescent-shaped  pavement  made  of  pebbles,  about 
sixty  feet  in  diameter.  This  mound  contained  two  bodies  and  a 
number  of  relics.  A  large  burial  mound  ninety  feet  high  stood 
outside  of  the  circle.  The  contrast  between  the  circle  and  the 
square  atrracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Atwater.  The  circle  had 
two  high  walls,  the  square  only  one.  The  circle  had  a  ditch  be 
tween  the  walls,  the  square  had  no  ditch.  The  circle  had  only 
one  gateway,  the  square  had  eight  gateways.  The  circle  was 
picketed,  "half  way  up  the  inner  walls  was  a  place  where  a  row 
of  pickets  stood,  pickets  which  were  used  for  the  defense  of  the 
circle."  These  facts  are  significant.  They  seem  to  indicate  that 
the  villages  were  surrounded  by  walls  which  secured  them  from 
attack;  but  that  there  was  a  symbolism  in  the  shape  of  the  walls 
as  well  as  in  the  shape  of  the  mounds  and  pavements  and  con 
tents  of  the  mounds.  In  these  respects  the  villages  would  be 
called  sacred  enclosures. 

8.  Still  another  argument  is  derived  from  the  variation  in 
the  typical  torm.  At  Marietta  we  have  two  squares  and  no 
circle  except  as  a  circle  surrounds  the  conical  mound  or  lookout 
station.  At  Highbank  and  Hopeton  we  have  the  circle  and  the 
square,  and  several  other  small  circles  adjoining.  At  Liberty 
Township  we  have  the  square,  three  circles  and  a  crescent.  At 
Cedarbank  we  have  a  square  with  a  platform  inside  of  it,  but  no 
circle.  At  Newark  we  have  the  octagon  instead  of  the  square. 
At  Clark's  Works  we  have  the  square,  a' large  irregular  inclosure 
and  the  circle  inside.  At  Seal  Township  we  have  the  square 
and  circle  and  several  elliptical  works.  At  Dunlap's  Works  we 
have  the  rhomboidal  figure  and  a  small  circle  adjoining.  Still, 
the  typical  shape  is  the  same  throughout  the  entire  region. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  a  new  point.  The  inquiry  is  whether  the 
enclosures  which  we  have  seen  to  be  so  symbolic  were  not  the 
village  sites  of  a  class  of  sun  worshipers.  This  inquiry  will  be 
conducted  in  an  entirely  different  way  from  the  former.  We  are 
now  to  look  not  so  much  for  the  symbolic  shapes  as  for  the 
practical  uses.  We  maintain  that  whether  they  were  symbolic 
or  not  the  majority  of  the  enclosures  were  used  for  villages.  We 
shall  first  consider  the  characteristics  of  village  enclosures  gen 
erally,  show  what  a  village  was  supposed  to  contain,  and  then 
compare  these  in  Ohio  with  others  to  show  that  they  were  also 
village  enclosures. 

i.     We  turn  to  the  Ohio  villages,  and  are  to  ask  what  their 


90. 

characteristics  are.  These  were  composed  of  the  following 
elements:  First,  the  circumvallation,  including  the  gateways; 
second,  the  contents,  including  the  platform  mounds,  burial 
mounds,  excavations  and  other  works;  third,  the  lodge  circles 
adjoining  the  village  enclosures,  some  of  them  constituting  a 
third  part  of  the  village,  scarcely  separated  from  the  larger 
enclosures,  some  of  them  being  quite  remote  from  the  village; 
fourth,  the  parallel  walls  or  covered  ways.  These  were  a  very 
important  element  in  connection  with  the  village  life.  Fifth,  the 
so-called  embankments,  which  Atwater  says  were  enclosures 
for  diversion  or  for  games,  many  of  which  were  found  at  an 
early  day  in  the  valley  of  the  Scioto,  but  which  had  disappeared 
before  the  survey  of  the  works  took  place;  sixth,  the  circles 
which  are  gathered  in  clusters  at  certain  points,  remote  from 
the  villages,  which  we  call  the  dance  circles;  seventh,  the  look 
out  mounds  and  observatories.  These  works  were  all  associated 
and  all  served  different  parts  in  connection  with  village  life.  We 
see  in  them,  ist,  provisions  for  defense,  the  circumvallation 
giving  defense  to  the  villages,  the  covered  ways  also  protecting 
the  people  as  they  went  to  and  from  the  villages  to  the  water's 
edge;  the  lookouts  on  the  summits  of  the  hills  furnishing  de 
fense  for  not  only  one  village,  but  for  many.  We  see,  2d,  pro 
visions  for  religion.  The  character  of  the  earth-works  is 
suggestive  of  religious  practices.  They  are,  many  of  them, 
enclosures,  symbolical  in  shape,  elliptical,  circular,  pyram 
idal.  Some  of  them  were  probably  temples,  the  truncated  pyr 
amids  being  the  foundation  platforms.  The  same  office  was 
filled  by  some  of  the  smaller  circles,  for  these  were  undoubtedly 
used  for  estufas,  sweat  houses,  or  assembly  places,  and  many 
of  them  were  convenient  of  access  to  the  village  enclosure. 
3d.  The  provisions  made  for  amusement,  feasts,  dances  can  be 
recognized  in  the  oblong  embankments  and  the  groups  of  small 
circles.  4th.  The  provision  made  for  water  is  found  in  numer 
ous  wells  spoken  of  by  the  early  explorers,  and  in  the  walls 
which  surround  them,  and  in  certain  ponds  near  the  enclosures. 
5th.  Provision  was  made  for  safe  cultivation  of  fields  in  covered 
ways  which  passed  out  from  the  enclosure  to  the  open  country, 
and  in  the  watch  towers  which  were  placed  at  the  ends  of  these. 
There  were  many  openings  in  the  covered  way,  which  gave 
egress  from  the  villages  to  the  fields  in  every  direction.  6th.  Pro 
vision  was  made  for  navigation  and  the  safety  of  the  canoes  by 
running  the  covered  ways  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  there 
making  a  grade,  which  should  be  like  a  levee,  for  the  landing 
of  the  canoes.  All  these  peculiarities  indicate  plainly  that  vil 
lage  life  was  the  factor  which  ruled.  Everything  was  subser 
vient  to  this. 

If  we  take  the  number  and  sizes  of  the  enclosures,  and  then 
look  at  their  situation  and  all  their  surroundings,  and  consider 
the  fertility  of  the  plains  in  which  they  were  located,  we  will 


5)1 

have  a  remarkable  picture  of  village  life.  It  seems  almost  like 
an  Arcadia.  The  people  seem  to  have  been  prosperous,  and  to 
have  dwelt  in  peace  and  security.  The  population  was  dtnse. 
The  organization  was  complete.  Religion  had  its  strong  hold 
upon  the  people;  the  people  lived  and  died  and  were  buried 
with  the  sacred  religious  rites  observed  on  all  occasions.  They 
rilled  their  altars  with  offerings  to  the  great  sun  divinity.  The 
most  costly  sacrifices  were  made;  pipes  and  beads,  carved  stone, 
pearls,  many  precious  works  of  art  were  thus  consecrated  with 
great  ceremonials.  But  the  scene  changed.  The  invasion  of 
an  enemy  drove  them  from  their  seats.  Their  villages  became 
the  seats  of  bloody  warfare.  They  were  obliged  to  leave  their 
abodes;  other  tribes  came  in  and  occupied  their  villages. 

2.  We  now  turn  to  the  specific  locations  and  give  descrip 
tions  of  the  works.  We  first  commence  with  the  works  at 
Marietta  and  quote  the  language  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Harris,  who 
with  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  examined  them  and  furnished  a  full  de 
scription  of  it.  The  following  is  their  account:  The  situation 
of  these  works  is  on  an  elevated  plain  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Muskingum,  about  half  a  mile  from  its  junction  with  the  Ohio. 
The  largest  square  fort,  by  some  called  the  town,  contains  forty 
acres,  encompassed  by  a  wall  of  earth  from  six  to  ten  feet  high, 
and  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-six  feet  in  breadth.  In  each  side 
are  three  openings,  resembling  twelve  gateways.  A  covered 
way  formed  ot  two  parallel  walls  of  earth  231  feet  distant  from 
each  other,  measuring  from  center  to  center.  The  walls  at  the 
most  elevated  part  inside  are  twenty-one  feet  in  height;  the 
outside  only  average  five  feet  in  height.  This  formed  a  passage 
about  680  feet  in  length,  leading  by  gradual  descent  to  the  low 
ground,  where,  at  the  time  of  its  construction,  it  probably 
reached  the  river.  The  bottom  is  crowned  in  the  center,  in  the 
manner  of  a  well-founded  turnpike  road.  Within  the  walls  of 
the  fort  at  the  northwest  corner  is  an  elevated  square  188  feet 
long,  132  broad,  9  high,  level  on  the  summit.  At  the  center  of 
each  of  the  sides  are  gradual  ascents  sixty  feet  in  length.  Near 
the  south  wall  is  another  elevated  square,  150  by  120  feet,  8 
feet  high;  but  instead  of  an  ascent  to  go  up  on  the  side  next  the 
wall,  there  is  a  hollow  way,  ten  feet  wide,  leading  twenty  feet 
toward  the  center,  with  a  gradual  slope  to  the  top.  At  the 
other  end  is  a  third  elevated  square,  108x54  feet,  with  ascents 
at  the  end.  At  the  southwest  corner  is  a  semi-circular  parapet 
crowned  with  a  mound,  which  guards  the  opening  in  the  wall. 
The  smaller  fort,  contains  twenty  acres,  with  a  gateway  in  the 
center  of  each  corner.  These  gateways  are  defended  by  circu 
lar  mounds.  On  the  outside  of  the  smaller  fort  is  a  mound  in 
the  form  of  a  sugar  loaf,  of  a  magnitude  and  height  which  strike 
the  beholder  with  astonishment.  It  base  is  a  regular  circle,  115 
feet  in  diameter;  its  altitude  is  30  feet.  It  is  surrounded  by  a 
ditch  4  feet  deep  and  15  wide,  and  defended  by  a  parapet  4  feet 


92 

high,  through  which  is  a  gateway  towards  the  fort  20  feet  in 
width.*  See  Plate. 

The  description  of  this  one  village  will  indicate  the  elements 
which  were  common  in  all  the  villages,  the  square  enclosures, 
the  graded  ways,  lookout  mounds,  protecting  walls,  wells,  etc., 
being  found  in  nearly  every  village. 

It  shows  also  the  religious  ideas  which  were  embodied  in 
many  of  the  village  enclosures,  the  platform  mounds  and  the 
circle  about  the  lookout  mounds  having  probably  been  used  as 
symbols  as  well  as  defenses.  This  same  combination  of  symbols 
with  defenses  is  seen  more  fully  in  the  elaborate  system  of  works 
found  at  Portsmouth.  These  works  seem  to  have  been  erected 
for  purely  religious  purposes,  and  we  recognize  many  symbols 
in  them,  the  square  at  one  end,  the  concentric  circle  at  the  other 
end,  and  the  horse-shoe,  the  crescent  and  several  other  symbols 
in  the  central  group,  the  whole  connected  by  a  wall  seven  or 
eight  miles  long. 

III.  We  now  turn  to  the  enclosures  of  Ohio,  but  are  to  con 
sider  them  in  their  defensive  capacity.  There  are  three  pecu 
liarities  to  earth-works  of  this  region,  namely :  the  large  major 
ity  of  them  are  enclosures;  second,  many  of  the  enclosures  are 
symbolic  in  shape,  the  circle  and  square  being  the  most  prevalent 
symbol ;  third,  the  majority  of  the  symbolic  works  are  very 
strongly  fortified,  nearly  every  place  which  the  sun  worshipers 
occupied  having  been  furnished  with  a  strong  and  heavy  earth 
wall,  which  served  as  a  protection  to  them.  The  classification 
of  the  works  of  the  sun  worshipers  reveals  to  us  a  great  variety 
of  uses,  the  most  of  them,  however,  being  such  uses  as  would 
be  connected  with  village  life.  But  with  the  uses  we  discover 
that  defense  was  as  much  sought  for  as  was  convenience.  It  is 
remarkable  that  there  were  so  many  walled  enclcsures  in  this 
region,  but  the  fact  that  there  was  danger  always  threatening  the 
people  from  a  lurking  foe  will  account  for  these.  They  needed 
to  defend  themselves  on  all  occasions,  and  so  they  never  resorted 
to  a  place  of  worship  or  amusement,  they  never  went  to  a  sac 
rificial  place,  they  never  even  went  to  the  fields  or  to  the  water's 
edge,  but  that  they  must  have  a  wall  to  protect  them.  We  have 
dwelt  upon  the  symbolism  which  was  embodied  in  their  works, 
but  we  might  dwell  even  longer  upon  the  view  of  the  defense 
provided  by  them.  It  will  suffice,  however,  to  say  that  symbol 
ism  and  defense  were  often  united,  the  superstition  about  the 
symbol  giving  them  a  sense  of  security  as  much  as  the  earth 
works  gave  them  actual  safety.  We  have  only  to  look  at  the 
different  works  found  in  any  one  locality  to  see  the  wonderful 
combination. 

i.  Let  us  ask  what  works  there  are  and  what  uses  we  may  dis- 

Harris'sTour,  p.  KIH. 


93 

cover  in  them.  We  have  first  the  village  defenses.  This  we 
see  was  always  protected  by  a  circumvallation.  This  circumval- 
lation  was  generally  in  the  shape  of  a  square  and  a  circle,  but 
the  circle  was  always  protected  by  a  high  wall  and  sometimes  by 
two  such  walls,  and  the  openings  in  the  wall  of  the  square  were 
always  protected  by  a  watch  tower  or  additional  platform  guard 
on  the  inside.  Second,  there  were  near  the  villages  many  forti 
fied  hill-tops,  places  to  which  the  villagers  could  resort  in  times 
of  attack.  These  fortified  hills  were  generally  located  in  the 
midst  of  several  villages,  so  that  they  could  be  easily  reached  by 
all.  Third,  the  sacrificial  places  and  the  places  of  religious 
assembly  were  always  provided  with  circumvallations  or  long 
covered  ways.  Nothing  of  a  religious  nature  was  ever  under 
taken  unless  the  people  could  be  protected  by  a  wall.  Fourth, 
we  find  that  the  sweat-houses,  so-called,  were  always  close  by 
the  village  enclosure,  but  if,  by  any  means,  it  was  remote,  there 
was  always  a  covered  way  provided,  so  that  it  could  be  reached 
in  safety  from  the  village  enclosure.  Fifth,  the  same  is  true  of 
the  dance  circles  and  places  of  amusement.  These  were  some 
times  remote  from  the  village,  but  in  all  such  cases  there  was  a 
covered  way  between  the  village  and  the  dance  ground.  Sixth, 
the  fields  were  cultivated,  but  the  fields  were  reached  by  passing 
through  the  parallels  or  covered  ways,  and  lookout  mounds  or 
observatories  were  always  provided  to  protect  those  at  work  and 
to  sound  the  alarm  to  them.  Seventh,  there  were  landing  places 
for  canoes  and  places  at  which  the  villagers  could  reach  the 
water's  edge.  These,  however,  were  always  protected  by  covered 
ways.  Every  village  had  its  landing  place,  but  nearly  every 
landing  place  was  furnished  with  a  graded  and  a  protected  or 
covered  way,  the  canoes  being  kept  from  the  water  and  from  the 
enemy  by  the  same  contrivance.  Eighth,  we  find  a  few  isolated 
enclosures.  These  are  the  parallels,  supposed  to  have  been  used 
for  races  and  other  games.  They,  too,  present  the  peculiarity  of 
having  a  wall  to  protect  them.  The  sacrificial  or  burial  places 
were  also  isolated,  but  even  the  burial  grounds  were  furnished 
with  heavy  earth- walls  or  circumvallations.  The  lookouts  were 
also  at  times  isolated  from  the  villages,  but  even  the  lookout 
mounds  were  surrounded  with  circles  to  protect  them,  and  some 
of  them  were  connected  with  the  village  sites  by  covered  ways. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  people  were  not  willing  even  to  trust 
their  sentinels  or  watchmen  to  the  open  fields  or  to  risk  the 
chance  of  his  reaching  an  enclosure  by  rapid  flight,  but  even  he 
must  be  protected  by  a  wall  or  covered  way. 

This  presents  a  new  view  of  the  earth-works  of  the  region.  It 
shows  that  the  people  realized  their  danger;  that  while  they  were 
peaceable  themselves  and  were  given  to  agriculture  and  to  a 
peculiar  religious  cult,  yet  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  savage 
foe  which  was  always  lurking  near.  They  remind  us  in  this 


respect  of  the  people  who  dwelt  in  the  terraced  villages  of  the 
West.  They  lived  in  villages  and  were  peaceful  and  industrious, 
but  needed  always  to  guard  their  villages  from  sudden  attack. 
The  mound-builders  of  Ohio,  then,  and  the  Indians  of  later  times 
were  plainly  very  different  from  one  another. 


The  forts  differ  among  themselves  in  many  respects.  Those 
which  were  erected  by  the  original  Mound-builders — that  is,  the 
Mound-builders  who  occupied  the  village  enclosures — are  much 
more  elaborate  thrn  those  built  by  the  later  tribes.  The  writer 
has  discovered  three  classes  of  forts  in  this  region.  The  first 
class  belongs  to  village  mound-builders,  the  second  to  mound- 
builders  who  were  serpent-worshipers,  the  third  to  the  race  of 


95 

stockade  builders.  Each  class  had  its  own  peculiar  way  of 
erecting  fortifications.  The  fortifications  are  more  distinctive  in 
reality  than  village  enclosures.  The  enclosures  may  have  been 
occupied  by  two  or  three  successive  populations,  the  one  erect 
ing  the  walls  and  giving  to  the  enclosures  the  peculiar  symbolic 
form  of  the  square  and  circle,  the  other  occupying  the  circles 
but  placing  within  them,  as  signs  of  their  presence,  some  partic 
ular  effigy.  The  great  serpent  probably  belongs  to  this  race,  the 
third  race,  who  erected  the  stockade  forts,  but  put  no  symbol 
ism  into  their  works.  The  distinction  between  the  first 
two  is  that  one  was  a  race  of  sun  worshipers  and  the  other  of 
serpent  worshipers,  the  sun  symbol  being  frequently  embodied 
in  the  earth  works  which  are  connected  with  the  village  enclos 
ures,  but  the  serpent  symbols  being  embodied  in  the  walls  which 
surrounded  the  fortifications  built  by  the  other  race.  We  have 
the  two  classes  represented  in  a  single  fort,  that  at  Fort  Ancient. 
The  upper  fort,  which  is  called  the  new  fort,  but  which  in  reality 
may  have  been  the  older  of  the  two,  has  all  the  characteristics 
oi  the  village  enclosures.  It  walls  are  high  and  angular,  well 
defined  and  furnished  with  massive  gateways,  all  showing  a  high 
degree  of  architectural  skill,  the  crescent  being  the  only  symbol 
contained  within  it.  The  lower  or  southern  fort,  which  is  called 
the  old  fort,  differs  from  this  in  all  respects.  The  walls  are 
ruder,  the  gateways  smaller,  the  scene  wilder,  and  the  symbolism 
stranger  and  more  mysterious.  This  part,  the  writer  maintains, 
embodied  the  symbol  of  the  serpent  in  its  walls,  the  superstition 
of  the  people  being  that  the  form  of  the  serpent  in  some  way 
gave  protection  to  the  people.  We  ascribe  to  the  first  class,  that 
is,  to  the  village  people,  the  forts  at  Bourneville.  at  Hamilton,  at 
Massey's  Creek,  and  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  called 
Clark's  Works ;  to  the  second  class,  we  ascribe  the  Colerain 
Works  and  the  fort  north  of  Hamilton,  leaving  the  Fort  Hill,  in 
Highland  County,  doubtful;  to  the  third  class — the  stockade 
builders — we  ascribe  the  fort  near  Granville,  those  at  Four-mile 
Creek  and  Seven-mile  Creek  and  Big  Run.  and  several  of  the 
works  near  Hamilton,  in  Butler  County.  The  peculiarity  of  the 
forts  of  the  village  people  is  that  there  were  very  elaborate  gate 
ways,  the  walls  being  very  sharply  defined,  and  having  re-entering 
angles,  some  of  them  being  provided  with  double  and  triple  earth 
works  as  guards  for  the  entrances.  Two  of  the  entrances  are 
furnished  with  what  is  called  the  Tlascalan  gateway,  and  the 
other  furnished  with  a  most  elaborate  system  of  embankments, 
six  different  semi-circular  walls  being  arranged  around  a  single 
opening,  to  protect  it  from  the  entrance  of  an  enemy.  The 
gateways  of  the  race  of  serpent-worshipers  were  provided  with 
walls  in  the  shape  of  serpents,  and  serpents'  heads,  but  with  no 
other  contrivances  except  this  symbol  to  guard  them. 

This  brief  review  of  the  forts  as  related  to   the  symbolism 


will  give  to  us  an  idea  as  to  the  great  variety  of  earth  works 
found  in  Southern  Ohio.  They  are  all  of  them  enclosures,  some 
of  them  having  been  used  for  defenses,  others  for  villages,  others 
for  burial  places,  others  as  council  houses,  and  as  dance  circles, 
and  a  few  perhaps  merely  as  symbols.  The  peculiarity  of  all  is 
that  they  have  earth  walls  which  enclose  areas,  though  there  are 
conical  mounds  or  solid  structures  either  in  the  areas  or  on  high 
land  overlooking  the  areas.  These  enclosures  bring  before  us  a 
picture  of  the  native  society  as  it  once  existed.  It  is  evident 
that  the  population  at  one  time  was  very  dense,  probably  much 
denser  in  the  time  of  the  early  mound-builders  than  at  any  time 
since.  The  people  were  then  in  a  peaceful  and  sedentary  condi 
tion.  They  were  agriculturists.  They  placed  their  villages  in 
the  midst  of  the  rich  agricultural  country  and  surrounded  them 
with  walls,  and  in  some  cases  built  walls  which  would,  in  a  meas 
ure,  surround  their  fields,  or  at  least  protect  the  people  in  going 
to  and  from  them.  The  forts  were  placed  in  the  midst  of  their 
villages  on  high  ground,  where  there  would  be  a  natural  defense, 
the  cliffs  being  precipitous.  In  case  of  a  sudden  incursion  the 
people  might  leave  their  villages  and  resort  to  the  forts.  Their 
villages  were  situated  upon  the  rivers  and  were  connected 
with  the  river's  bank  by  covered  ways.  They  navigated  the 
rivers  by  canoes  and  had  landing  places  for  them  near  their  vil 
lages.  Their  villages  were  sometimes  close  together,  giving  the 
idea  that  the  clans  inhabiting  them  were  friendly  to  one  another. 
At  other  times  the  villages  are  isolated  and  wide  apart,  giving 
the  idea  that  the  people  sought  room  for  hunting  as  well  as  fer 
tile  spots  for  agriculture.  The  villages,  however,  were  all  walled 
and  the  most  of  them  had  walled  approaches,  giving  the  idea 
thai-  they  were  liable  to  be  attacked  by  a  lurking  foe,  and  that 
they  continued  their  pursuits  with  this  constant  sense  of  danger 
in  their  minds.  Everything  impresses  us  with  the  thought  that 
the  Indians  were  foes  to  the  mound-builders,  and  that  the  mound- 
builders  were  well  acquainted  with  Indian  ways,  the  two  classes 
— Indians  and  mound-builders — being  very  similar  in  their  ways 
and  modes  of  life,  though  their  symbolism  was  different. 


STONE  GRAVES  IN  FORT  ANCIENT,  OHIO. 


BEE-HIVE  TOMBS  IN  CALDWELL  COUNTY.  N.  C. 


97 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  STONE  GRAVE  PEOPLE. 

One  of  the  signs  of  the  progress  which  archaeology  is  making 
in  this  country  is  that  so  many  new  fields  are  constantly  opening 
and  so  many  new  discoveries  are  being  made ;  but  the  old  prob 
lems  are  returning  for  new  solutions.  This  is  as  it  should  be. 
The  science  is  one  that  can  not  be  finished  in  a  day,  nor  can  we 
even  hope  to  safely  lay  its  foundations  until  many  facts  have 
been  accumulated  and  the  material  which  is  gathered  has  been 
well  sifted.  The  student  may  be  slow  in  passing  over  the  rudi 
ments,  but  it  is  very  likely  that  his  scholarship  will  be  all  the 
better  and  the  results  in  the  end  be  surer  and  more  satisfactory 
if  he  often  returns  to  the  same  lesson.  This  is  especially  true 
of  the  Mound-builder  problem.  So  many  have  inclined  to  jump 
at  conclusions  in  reference  to  this  question,  so  many  have  ad 
vanced  theories  without  waiting  for  sufficient  evidence  to  sub 
stantiate  their  positions,  that  it  seems  hopeful  when  new  facts  are 
brought  to  light  and  the  old  subject  is  brought  up  again  for 
reconsideration. 

We  are  to  speak  in  this  paper  of  the  stone  grave  people,  but 
would,  before  we  begin,  call  attention  to  the  various  opinions 
which  have  beer,  advanced  in  reference  to  them.  A  few  years 
ago,  when  their  works  were  first  discovered,  it  was  reported  that 
a  race  of  pigmies  had  been  found.  The  report,  of  course,  ex 
cited  much  curiosity,  and  it  was  thought  that  a  great  mystery 
had  been  uncovered.  The  process  of  investigation,  however, 
went  on,  and  it  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  pigmies  were  only 
the  children  of  people  who  had  been  accustomed  to  bury  in 
graves  made  from  stone  slabs,  but  they  were  people  like  other 
aborigines  in  America.  The  mystery,  however,  had  scarcely 
been  cleared  up  and  the  error  corrected  before  there  arose  an 
other  opinion,  which  also  excited  much  attention.  This  opinion 
was  at  the  time  advocated  by  persons  in  authority,  and  was 
therefore  quite  generally  adopted.  It  was  at  the  opposite  extreme 
from  the  one  which  preceded  it.  There  was  now  no  mystery  about 
the  Mound-builders ;  they  were  only  common  Indians.  We  must 
class  them  all  with  the  aborigines.  The  stone  graves  belonged  to 
one  tribe  of  Indians.  The  Mound-builders  of  Ohio  were  another 
tribe,  the  Cherokees. 

A  third  stage  of  investigation,  however,  is  now  before  us,  and 
the  same  problem  is  coming  up  again  for  solution,  It  yet  remains 


to  be  seen  how  much  of  truth  there  is  in  the  position  last  taken 
and  whether  any  of  it  really  deserves  to  go  into  history,  or 
whether  some  other  position  is  yet  to  be  reached,  which  will 
prove  more  satisfactory  and  some  conclusion  which  shall  be 
more  permanent.  The  pendulum  which  has  been  swinging 
backward  and  forward  may  indeed  mark  progress,  but  we  are 
not  certain  about  the  significance  of  the  figure  on  the  dial.  It 
certainly  may  be  doubted  whether  the  clock  has  yet  reached  the 
striking  place,  nor  have  we  reached  any  permanent  conclusion. 
Many  new  discoveries  have  recently  been  made,  new  fields  have 
been  opened,  and  various  books  and  publications  have  appeared, 
and  now  the  whole  subject  is  again  up  for  contention. 

An  array  of  new  facts  is  before  us,  and  we  may  expect  the 
opinion  to  turn  towards  new  evidence.  The  Mound-builders 
were  an  ancient  people.  They  resembled  the  modern  Indians, 
but  the  Mound-builders'  period  was  distinctive.  One  error  was 
detected  when  it  was  proved  that  the  Mound-builders  were  not 
a  civilized  people,  but  another  error  came  to  the  surface  when  it 
was  maintained  that  the  modern  Indian  is  the  only  representative 
of  the  mound-building  period.  The  truth  is  between  them  ; 
neither  in  the  civilized  nor  in  savage  races  do  we  find  the  picture 
for  which  we  are  seeking.  The  Mound-builder  belongs  to  neither 
of  these  classes,  but  their  real  status  was  between  the  two  ex 
tremes.  Three  periods  may  be  ascribed  to  the  prehistoric  age  in 
America.  First  comes  the  paleolithic  period,  with  its  rude  con 
dition;  next  comes  the  mound-building  period,  with  its  varied 
record;  lastly,  the  period  of  the  red  Indian;  then  comes  the 
date  of  history.  History  treats  of  the  modern  races,  ethnol 
ogy  may  treat  of  the  more  ancient  peoples,  but  the  science 
of  archaeology  has  much  in  store  which  may  modify  our  conclu 
sions.  The  living  tribes  have  but  recently  disappeared,  other 
tribes  preceded  them,  and  the  record  goes  back  into  the  remote 
centuries.  We  have  not  by  any  means  reached  the  end  of  our 
studies  Things  are  to  be  discovered  that  have  not  yet  been 
put  on  the  record.  The  Mound-builder  problem  is  not  solved. 
New  factors  are  constantly  coming  up  and  we  leave  ourselves 
open  to  new  evidence. 

We  not  only  go  bacjc  of  the  historic  period  and  look  for  the 
prehistoric  races  which  have  left  their  tokens  on  the  soil,  but  we 
are  also  to  go  back  of  one  prehistoric  period  and  find  the  traces 
of  a  period  and  race  which  still  preceded  them,  and  so  make  the 
record  complete.  While  ethnology,  treating  of  the  living  tribes, 
may  help  us  to  understand  the  character  of  the  tribes  and  races 
which  preceded  them,  the  archaeological  tokens  are  to  be  most 
relied  upon  for  our  evidence.  The  archaeological  evidence  is  to 
be  sifted,  and  we  are  to  discriminate  until  we  shall  know  the 
differences  between  all  the  races.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  so  im 
portant  to  identify  any  known  tribe  with  the  tokens  of  any  one 


99 

locality,  or  to  distinguish  between  the  tribes  and  races  which 
may  have  occupied  each  locality,  and  make  the  characteristics  of 
each  our  especial  study. 

The  present  chapter  is  devoted  to  a  single  class  of  people,  to  a 
single  period  of  occupation,  to  a  particular  type  of  aboriginal 
civilization,  and  to  a  particular  locality,  and  yet  there  are  many 
questions  which  arise  in  connection  with  them.  We  have  chosen 
the  stone  grave  people  for  our  study.  Some  may  think  them 
modern,  and  imagine  we  are  studying  the  works  of  historic  In 
dians.  Others  consider  them  purely  prehistoric  and  illustrative 
of  one  phase  of  prehistoric  civilization.  They  are,  however, 
only  one  out  of  many.  The  soil  of  America  is  filled  with  the 
records  of  many  such  races.  Our  work  is  to  study  the  records 
and  to  see  the  difference  between  them. 

The  subdivision  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory,  and  the  dis 
tinction  between  the  mound-building  classes,  we  may  regard  as 
already  established,  and  the  succession  of  races  in  each  locality  is 
rapidly  becoming  recognized,  and  we  may  expect  soon  to  distin 
guish  the  races  and  to  recognize  not  only  the  periods  but  also 
to  see  the  diversity  which  existed  among  the  races.  We  go 
back  of  the  historic  period  to  ascertain  the  origin  of  the  Amer 
ican  Indians,  but  we  go  back  of  one  prehistoric  period  to  the 
tokens  of  another  to  ascertain  the  origin  of  the  Mound-builders. 
But  after  all  this,  we  know  very  little  about  the  peopling  of 
America.  Perhaps  we  shall  find  that  the  races  were  autochtho 
nous  in  this  country,  and  trace  the  clue  back  from  the  Indians  to 
the  stone  graves,  and  from  the  stone  graves  to  the  mounds  and 
shell  heaps,  and  from  the  mounds  and  shell  heaps  to  the  cave- 
dwellings,  and  from  the  cave-dwellings  to  the  gravel  beds,  but 
for  the  present  we  wait  for  evidence.  Possibly  we  may  trace  the 
population  of  this  country  to  other  lands  and  be  led  to  recog 
nize  the  waves  of  migration  in  the  very  relics  which  have  been 
left  beneath  the  surface.  We  leave  ourselves  open  to  conviction 
in  either  direction.  We  welcome  the  new  discoveries  and  wait 
for  the  solution  of  the  many  problems. 

Our  subject  will  lead  us  first  tc  a  view  of  the  habitat  of  this 
people;  second,  to  the  study  of  their  characteristics,  especially 
as  they  are  made  known  by  their  relics;  third,  to  the  question  of 
portraits,  especially  as  it  is  brought  before  us  by  their  pottery ; 
fourth,  to  an  examination  of  their  symbols;  fifth,  to  the  enquiry 
whether  we  have  evidence  of  a  foreign  origin  and  race  connection. 

The  subject  is  somewhat  difficult,  the  facts  are  remote,  but  the 
points  are  suggestive  and  the  discussion  interesting.  We  would 
say,  however,  that  we  have  been  greatly  aided  by  the  perusal  of 
the  pages  of  that  interesting  book  which  has  been  prepared  by 
Gates  P.  Thruston,  who  has  made  a  close  study  of  the  works  and 
relics  of  this  people,  and  we  shall  quote  from  the  book,  seeking, 
however,  to  give  credit  for  all  the  essential  facts  and  discoveries. 


100 

I.  As  to  the  habitat  of  the  stone  grave  people,  we  have  already 
said  that  this  was  to  be  found  mainly  in  Middle  Tennessee  and 
in  the  valley  of  the  Cumberland,  though  it  may  be  supposed  to 
have  extended  in  either  direction  and  possibly  reached  even  the 
adjoining  states.  It  was  a  peculiarly  isolated  region,  remote  from 
the  routes  of  the  early  explorers,  and  for  this  reason  its  inhabi 
tants  for  many  years  remained  without  notice  from  the  historians. 
We  are  impressed  with  several  facts  in  reference  to  the  territory. 
( i )  It  was  peculiarly  favorable  to  the  development  of  an  aboriginal 
condition,  such  as  is  now  found  represented  by  the  works  and 
relics  which  are  being  studied  so  attentively.  (2)  It  was  a  region 
which  was  occupied  at  different  periods  by  a  homogenous  popu 
lation,  who  for  the  most  part  followed  the  same  general  mode  of 
life  and  filled  about  the  same  grade  of  civilization.  (3)  It  was  a 
region  through  which  the  different  populations  of  the  Gulf  States 
made  their  way  northward  into  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  leaving 
on  their  way  the  tokens  of  their  presence.  (4)  It  was  a  region 
in  which  peculiar  tribal  customs  seemed  to  have  grown  up  and 
become  established.  (5)  It  was  a  region  in  which  the  tokens 
of  a  teeming  population  abound  in  unusual  numbers,  and  there 
fore  furnishes  a  very  favorable  field  of  investigation.  (6)  It  is  a 
region  where  pyramids  of  an  inferior  kind  were  associated  with 
lodge  circles  and  fortified  village  sites,  but  where  the  burial 
places  took  a  peculiar  character.  (7)  It  was  the  region  which, 
though  lying  between  the  habitat  of  the  historic  tribes  of  Indians 
— the  Cherokees  and  Natchez — had  a  population  which,  so  far  as 
tribal  history  is  concerned,  may  be  regarded  as  still  unknown. 
(8)  It  was  a  habitat  which  was  once  occupied  by  a  peaceable 
and  sedentary  people,  but  was  invaded  by  a  savage  foe  some 
time  about  the  date  of  the  opening  of  history, — a  foe  which  was 
probably  allied  to  the  red  Indian  hunters  of  the  north,  and  who 
may  have  been  the  Shawnees,  who  were  themselves  late  comers 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  but  who  never  reached  the  grade  of  the 
civilization  of  the  people  whose  territory  they  invaded.  (9)  It 
is  a  region  in  which  the  Alleghans  or  Cherokees,  the  Algonkins 
or  Shawnees,  and  the  Natchez  or  Chickasaws,  a  branch  of  the 
Muskogees,  were  once  the  occupants,  all  of  them  belonging  to 
different  races.  (10)  It  is  a  region  full  of  the  Mound-builder 
symbols.  We  shall  take  these  points,  its  isolation,  the  obscurity 
of  history  concerning  it,  the  evidence  of  growth  and  development 
during  prehistoric  times,  and  the  abundance  of  archaeological 
tokens,  as  being  proof  that  the  people  belonged  to  the  mound- 
building  period,  and  that  their  territory  constituted  one  more 
division  of  mound-building  territory.  We  are,  to  be  sure,  now 
among  the  southern  mound-builders'  type,  and  yet  it  is  a  type 
which  is  not  found  elsewhere. 

Such  are  the  impressions  which  we  have  gained  from  a  study 
of  the  locality  and  its  tokens.  There  are,  however,  impressions 


101 


which  others  have  also  gained,  and  we  here  take  pleasure  in 
quoting  the  opinions  of  the  various  authors  who  have  written  on 
the  subject,  thus  giving  both  sides,  and  leaving  the  reader  to 
judge  for  himself. 

The  following  words  from  General  Thruston's  book  will  ex 
press  one  thought  now  before  us:  "About  fifty  years  after 
the  discovery,  DeSoto  and  his  army  (in  1540  A.  D.)  pushed 
along  its  southern  border,  rudely  startling  the  native  inhabitants, 
but  they  passed  on  across  the  great  river  and  probably  never 
came  within  the  actual  borders  of  Tennessee.  A  hundred  and 
thirty  years  then  elapsed  and  no  European  stepped  within  its 
limits.  In  1673  Marquette  came  in  his  shallow  bark,  floating 
down  upon  the  broad  waters,  its  first  white  explorer.  Nearly 
another  century  intervened 
before  the  hardy  pioneer  of 
Virginia  scaled  the  moun 
tain  or  Daniel  Boone  start 
ed  on  'the  wilderness  trail' 
for  the  far  west.  In  all  these 
years  Tennessee,  infolded 
in  her  ancient  forests  and 
mountain  barriers,  in  her 
isolation,  remote  from  lake, 
ocean  and  gulf,  was  as  un 
known  to  the  outer  world 
as  Central  Africa.  France 
claimed  her  territory  as  a 
part  of  Louisiana  and 
Illinois,  Spain  called  it 
Florida  and  set  up  her 
right,  England  assumed  sovereignty  over  it  as  a  part  of  Virginia 
and  California;  but  none  of  them  took  possession.  Even  the 
Indians  had  to  fight  for  their  titles.  Vincennes  in  Indiana, 
Kaskaskia  in  Illinois,  and  New  Orleans  were  founded ;  Texas 
and  Missouri  were  colonized;  Santa  Fe  in  New  Mexico,  a  thou 
sand  miles  to  the  west,  had  become  an  old  Spanish  town ;  yet 
Tennessee  was  still  without  a  name  or  description,  save  that  it 
was  marked  on  the  New  World's  maps  as  the  unexplored  land 
of  the  Shawnees.  These  facts  are  stated  to  show  how  little  his 
tory  can  tell  us  directly  of  ancient  Tennessee  or  of  the  stone 
grave  race." 

The  same  author  has  spoken  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  that  peculiar 
grade  of  civilization  which  found  its  embodiment  in  the  stone 
graves  in  the  following  words:  "The  primitive  manifestations 
of  industry  and  art  found  among  the  remains  in  the  Cumberland 
and  Tennessee  Valleys  and  in  adjacent  States  were  evidently  in 
the  main  of  indigenous  growth.  They  may  have  been  the  result 
of  centuries  of  gradual  development  within  these  borders,  or 


Fig.  1.— Wolf's  Head. 


102 


they  may  have  had  an  origin  in  part  through  migration  or  inter 
tribal  intercourse  from  the  sedentary  or  village  Indians  of  New 
or  Old  Mexico.  We  are  inclined  to  the  latter  view.  It  is  diffi 
cult  to  ascertain  the  exact  relation  of  the  stone  grave  race  of 
Tennessee  and  its  kindred  of  the  neighboring  States  to  the  his 
toric  red  Indians."  Whether  the  fort-builders  and  pottery-makers 
of  the  Cumberland  and  of  the  Tennessee  were  overwhelmed  and 
dispersed,  and  became  practically  extinct,  or  whether  they  were 
absorbed  by  the  more  powerful  and  savage  conquerors  and  became 
members  of  the  Shawnees,  Natchez  or  other  tribes  by  adoption, 

may  never  be  known.  There 
is  no  mystery  in  the  disap 
pearance  of  some  of  the 
mound-building  aborigines. 
Scores  of  tribes  have  be 
come  extinct  during  the  last 
three  centuries.  The  Shaw 
nees  have  had  a  pathetic 
history.  Dr.  Brinton  calls 
them  the  "  Gypsies  of  the 
forest."  Their  eccentric 
wanderings,  their  sudden 
appearance  and  disappear 
ance,  perplex  the  antiquar 
ian  and  defy  research.  We 
first  find  them  in  actual 
history  about  the  year  1660 
along  the  Tennessee  and 
Cumberland  Rivers.  Fora 
century  or  more  they  held 
their  sway.  Their  territory 
extended  from  the  Ohio  to 
the  Tennessee,  but  they 
were  never  in  security.  They 
were  never  at  peace.  The 
Iroquois  preyed  upon  them  from  the  north,  the  Chickasaws  and 
Choctaws  from  the  south  and  the  Cherokees  from  the  east,  until 
they  were  finally  overwhelmed  and  scattered,  and  fled  beyond 
the  Ohio.  For  sixty  years  before  its  first  settlement  by  the  whites 
Tennessee  was  an  uninhabited  wilderness.  Such  is  the  history  of 
the  region  which  we  call  the  habitat  of  the  stone  grave  people — 
a  history,  however,  which  contrasts  with  the  archaeology  ot  the 
same  region. 

The  same  author  says :  "  Passing  from  the  brief  historical  view 
to  the  interesting  problems  attaching  to  the  origin  of  the  ancient 
mound  and  grave  builders  of  Tennessee,  their  race  relation,  their 
tribal  affinities,  and  their  culture  status  in  the  scale  of  civiliza 
tion,  as  represented  by  their  monuments  and  art,  we  enter  upon 


Fig.  2.— Pottery  Portrait  from  Stone  Grave. 


103 


more  uncertain  ground.  The  stone  graves  are  not  always  found 
in  cemeteries  or  large  groups.  Their  location  upon  almost  every 
farm  in  the  central  counties  indicates  not  only  the  presence  of 
a  very  large  population,  but  that  it  was  generally  widely  distrib 
uted  throughout  the  country,  probably  in  peaceful  settlements 
through  a  long  period  of  time,  thus  doubtless  enabling  the 
ancient  race  to  make  progress  in  the  simpler  arts  and  industries 
beyond  the  status  of  the  more  savage  tribes," 

II.  We  ask,  in  view  of  these  facts,  whether  we  shall  class 
the  stone  grave  people  with  the  historic  Indians  or  with  the  pre 
historic?  whether  the 
facts  of  archaeology  do 
not  lead  us  to  a  period 
more  remote  than  that 
of  which  history  [has 
the  record,  and  to  iden 
tify  the  people  with  the 
ancient  mound-build 
ers  rather  than  with 
any  known  tribe  of 
historic  Indians  ? 

We  here  call  at 
tention  to  the  descrip 
tion  of  the  relics  and 
implements  abound 
ing  in  East  Tennessee. 
Many  of  the  ancient 
flint  pits  and  quarries, 
and  the  remains  of  the 
old  work-shops,  are 
still  to  be  seen.  Flint, 
iasper,  chert  and  sili- 
cious  limestone  were 
generally  used,  but  ar 
rows  and|implements 
are  found  of  chalcedony,  transparent  quartz,  and  quartziferous 
and  other  stone.  Fine  examples  of  the  work  of  the  old  arrow- 
makers  are  shown.  They  are  similar  to  the  delicate  arrow-points 
found  in  Mexico  and  along  the  Pacific  coast.  There  seems  to 
be  no  limit  to  the  arrow-points.  The  village  Indians,  who  dwelt 
in  forts,  towns  and  settlements,  must  have  been  sufficiently  ad 
vanced  to  have  known  the  use  of  a  variety  of  implements.  Sets 
of  tools  of  chipped  and  polished  stone,  evidently  the  outfit  of 
some  ancient  lapsidary  or  artisan,  are  occasionally  found  lying 
together  in  the  same  grave.  Caches  of  new  flints  or  cherts  in 
large  numbers  are  also  found,  apparently  just  as  they  left  the 
worshop  of  some  old  "stone  chipper".  Eight  well  made  imple 
ments  of  various  forms,  all  polished  by  use,  were  found  in  a 


Fig.  3.— Portrait  Pipe,  Indian. 


104 

grave,  lying  beside  three  useful  implements  of  bone.  Another 
set,  mainly  sharp  stone  chisels  and  a  horn  handle,  with  a  deep 
socket,  were  found  in  a  neighboring  grave.  An  agricultural  hoe 
of  flinty  chert,  8  inches  long,  is  in  Mr.  J.  G.  Cisco's  collection. 
A  large,  perfect,  fan-shaped  axe  or  adze,  I2j£  inches  long  and  8 
wide,  was  found  in  Stewart  County.  A  handsome  leaf-shaped 
implement  from  Davidson  County  is  nearly  14  inches  long.  It 
is  a  turtle-back,  or  adze-shaped.  A  paddle-shaped  flint,  glossy 
with  use  at  the  blade  end,  is  iol/2  inches  long  and  very  symmet 
rical,  slightly  curved  or  adze-shaped,  is  as  delicately  chipped  as 
any  spear-head.  Many  scrapers,  spoon-shaped,  with  blunt  ends 
and  concave  at  one  side,  are  discovered.  Chipped  stone  chisels, 
chipped  to  a  sharp  edge,  with  square  corners  at  the  blade  and 
notched  at  the  upper  end,  and  other  chisels  with  the  handle  end 


Fig.  4.— Pottery  Portrait  from  Arkansas. 

rounded  as  if  for  holding  in  the  hands,  are  shown.  A  set  of  five 
chisels  that  evidently  had  handles  oi  wood,  sharp  as  a  table-knife 
at  the  blade  end,  is  described.  These  flint  types  seem  to  indicate 
a  condition  of  society  and  of  the  industrial  arts  above  the  ordin 
ary  stone  hammer  and  spear  stage  of  barbarism.  A  flint  knife 
7  inches  long,  and  the  horn  handle,  the  end  pierced  with  holes, 
in  which  the  string  was  fastened  to  that,  aided  in  binding  the 
knife,  were  found  in  a  grave  near  Nashville.  Other  knives,  with 
round  curved  edge  and  notched  at  the  end;  stone  hatchets,  with 
wide  spreading  flanges  at  the  blade  ends  ;  others  with  curved 
edges  and  straight  sides,  designed  for  hafting,  Flint  daggers 
with  long  tapering  blade,  and  guards  above  the  blade,  like  dirk 
knives  of  modern  style,  are  seen.  A  double-barbed  spear-head, 
one  notched;  a  sword  made  from  chipped  flint,  22  inches  long 
and  2  inches  wide,  was  found  beside  a  skeleton,  put  within  the 
very  bones  of  the  hand,  as  if  a  tribute  to  his  rank  or  as  a  badge 
of  distinction  in  the  spirit-land.  A  scepter  fourteen  inches 
long,  and  another  seventeen  inches  and  three  quarters  long  and 


105 

three  and  a  half  inches  wide,  evidently  emblems  of  authority, 
are  described. 

The  only  flint  implements  in  America,  north  of  Mexico,  rival 
ling  these  fine  implements  from  Tennessee  have  been  discovered 
in  the  ancient  graves  of  the  California  Indians,  but  the  largest 
one  of  these  is  only  9^  inches  long,  though  one  from  Oregon 
is  said  to  be  13  inches  long.  Three  magnificent  chipped  stone 
implements,  with  ornamented  handles,  were  found  in  a  cache 
together.  They  offer  direct  and  very  positive  evidence  that  they 
were  used  for  ceremonial  purposes  of  a  religious,  military  or 
public  character — the  scepters  or  royal  maces  once  used  by  the 
magnates  of  the  race  that  built  the  ancient  mounds  and  fortifica 
tions  of  Middle  Tennessee.  The  most  distinguished  personage 


Fig.  5.— Stone  Image  from  Clarksville,  Tennessee. 

of  the  stone  grave  race  yet  identified — the  honored  chieftain  or 
priest  whose  remains  were  unearthed  in  the  Harpeth  River,  was 
placed  in  his  sarcophagus  with  a  large  flint  sword  in  his  right 
hand. 

The  totem  marks,  the  number  of  feather  plumes,  the  battle-axe 
or  war-club,  the  engraved  brooch  plates,  the  upholding  ot  the  pipe 
of  peace,  were  ensignia  or  symbols  of  rank  or  authority  every 
where  used  and  respected.  A  fine  scepter,  a  splendid  specimen 
of  ancient  art,  wider  at  the  hilt  points,  and  shorter  in  the  blade, 
but  finely  decorated  with  curved  or  crescent-shaped  guards,  is 
described.  It  was  not  intended  for  cutlery,  but  was  probably 
used  as  a  halberd  or  mace.  Mr.  Thruston  says  :  We  have  never 
seen  a  specimen  of  aboriginal  art  from  the  valley  of  the  Missis 
sippi  superior  to  this  fine  flint.  It  was  found  twenty  miles  north 
of  Nashville,  near  the  ancient  fortifications  situated  there. 


106 

Such  are  the  relics  which  have  recently  been  discovered  and 
which  have  been  described  in  this  new  and  valuable  book.  We 
ask  again,  in  view  of  this,  whether  we  shall  not  conclude  that 
the  stone  grave  people  belonged  to  that  class  of  mound-builders 
which  was  superior  to  the  red  hunter  Indian,  and  that  the  theory 
about  the  Shawnees  being  their  fabricators  is  a  mistaken  one. 

III.  The  same  impression  is  also  drawn  from  an  examina 
tion  of  the  pottery  portraits.  We  may  say  that  in  no  part  of 
the  country  has  so  much  pottery  been  found  as  in  this  district. 
The  only  other  district  in  which  any  similar  amount  has  been 
found  is  that  which  is  situated  immediately  west  and  northwest 
of  this,  in  Arkansas  and  Missouri — New  Madrid,  Missouri,  being 
the  chief  seat  of  the  ancient  pottery-makers.  Many  authors 


Fig.6.  —Female  Portrait.  Fin.  7.— Male  Portrait. 

have  spoken  of  this  fact  as  if  it  was  significant.  The  general 
impression  seems  to  be  that  the  people  of  the  two  districts  were 
in  the  same  general  grade  of  culture  and  had  reached  the  same 
stage  of  art.  How  this  can  be  reconciled  with  the  theory  that 
the  stone  grave  people  were  Shawnees  we  do  not  undertake  to 
say.  There  is  no  evidence  of  the  use  of  the  wheel  or  lathe. 
The  ware  is  hand  made.  Clay  trowels  were  used  in  smooth 
ing  and  rounding  the  open  vessels.  The  vitreous  glaze  was 
unknown  to  the  potters.  In  this  respect,  the  pottery  of  the 
Mound-builders  differed  from  that  of  Central  America  The 
Pueblo  Indians  had  no  knowledge  of  it,  but  the  ancient  ware 
of  Mexico  shows  this.  The  pottery  from  the  stone  graves 
was  hardened  by  fire.  Some  of  the  vessels  ring  as  if  they  were 
made  of  metal.  The  decline  of  the  potters'  art  among  historic 
tribes  is  well  known.  The  wild  Indians  do  not  often  manufac 
ture  pottery,  but  the  Pueblo  Indians  still  continue  the  art.  The 
stone  grave  people  seem  to  have  had  much  skill  in  decorating 
pottery.  They  used  pigment  dyes  in  giving  different  colors  to 
the  clay,  and  they  burned  different  colors  into  the  vessels.  Many 


107 

of  the  specimens  of  pottery  are  decorated  with  animal  figures. 
They  show  much  skill  in  imitating  animal  life.  One  specimen 
is  described  by  Gen.  Thruston,  The  cut  is  furnished  to  illustrate 
this  paper.  It  represents  a  panther  or  wolf,  or  some  animal  that 
is  suggestive  of  ferocity.  See  Fig.  I.  The  majority  of  the 
specimens  of  pottery  are  those  which  were  used  for  domestic 
purposes,  though  there  are  pipes  and  other  articles  which  are 
made  of  pottery  and  are  highly  ornamental. 

Domestic  pottery  comprised  all  kinds  of  vessels,  some  of  them 
in  the  shape  of  urns,  bowls,  pots,  vases,  shallow  dishes,  deep 


Fig.  8.— Heads  Used  as  Handles  for  Dishes. 

dishes,  bottles,  jars,  vessels  for  cooking  food  as  well  as  for  hold 
ing  water,  and  for  other  domestic  purposes.  It  would  seem  as 
if  the  domestic  life  of  the  people  was  brought  before  us  by  this 
pottery  which  was  burned  with  the  bodies.  There  are  also 
many  jars  and  other  vessels  which  were  made  in  imitative  shape, 
the  ordinary  wild  animals  and  wild  fowls  being  the  objects 
most  commonly  imitated.  There  are  many  pottery  vessels, 
however,  which  might  be  called  idols,  as  they  are  in  the  shape 
of  human  images.  These  images  are  very  interesting  as  objects 
of  study,  as  they  furnish  an  idea  as  to  the  different  types  effaces 
which  were  probably  common  among  the  people  of  this  region. 
We  notice  that  some  of  these  faces  resemble  the  modern  Indian 
of  the  northern  type;  others  are  very  different,  however,  from 
any  Indian  face  which  is  likely  to  be  recognized  in  these  days. 
The  question  arises  whether  these  faces  all  belong  to  one  people 
or  were  they  proofs  of  a  great  mixture  in  the  population  of 


108 

those  days.  We  call  attention  to  the  contrasts  between  the 
faces.  We  take  the  terra  cotta  head  from  the  cemetery  at 
Nashville  and  the  female  head  from  the  same  cemetery,  and 
place  them  alongside  of  the  image  pipe  found  near  Kingston, 
Tennessee,  representing  a  kneeling  human  figure.  See  Figs. 
2  and  3.  The  contrast  between  these  faces  will,  we  think,  be 
recognized  at  once.  "The  material  of  which  the  pipe  is  com 
posed  is  reddish-brown  stone,  probably  jasper.  It  is  eight  inches 
in  height.  The  head-dress  is  unique  and  remarkable.  The 
face  is  peculiar,  and  is  sombre  in  expression,  but  the  high  cheek 
bones  and  long  nose  seem  to  represent  the  red  Indian  type.  The 
long,  pointed  ear-rings  on  each  side  are  well  carved  and  orig 
inal."  The  difference  between  the  pottery  faces  from  the  cemetery 


Fig.  9. — Pottery  Heads  Used  as  Handles. 

and  the  pipe  portrait,  we  think,  will  illustrate  the  point  we  are 
arguing.  The  southern  mound-builders,  whoever  they  were, 
seem  to  belong  to  a  different  race  from  the  ordinary  Indians.  We 
would  take  one  face  to  be  the  face  of  a  Briton  and  not  a  North 
American  Indian,  and  the  question  arises  whether  some  of  these 
southern  tribes  may  not  yet  be  traced  back  to  the  early  Britons 
or  Basques. 

Two  other  faces  are  presented  for  examination.  We  call 
attention  to  the  contrasts  between  them.  One  of  these  is  found 
on  the  surface  of  a  bowl  discovered  in  a  mound  on  the  St.  Francis 
River  in  Arkansas.  See  Fig.  4.  It  is  called  the  "Riggs"  face 
bowl,  from  the  name  of  the  person  who  first  discovered  it.  A 
large  image  of  marble  or  crystalline  lime-stone  was  found  by 
Mr.  H.  L.  Johnson,  of  Clarksville,  Tennessee.  See  Fig.  5.  The 
features  of  the  face  are  the  heavy,  Ethiopian  cast.  Other  images 
similar  to  this,  with  still  more  marked  Ethiopian  or  Aztec 
features,  have  been  described  and  depicted  by  Mr.  Thruston  in 
his  book.  The  question  which  we  ask  in  connection  with  these 
four  pictures  is  whether  there  was  not  a  difference  between  the 
idols  and  the  portraits,  each  of  them  being  significant  of  a  dis- 


109; 

tinct  race,  the  vases  being  of  the  ancient  type  and  the  portrait 
pipes  being  modern  Indian.  Two  more  figures  are  pre 
sented,  one  of  them  a  terra  cotta  image,  with  the  face  ot  a 
female,  quite  delicate  in  feature — a  handsome  face;  the  other  a 
strong,  manly  face;  both  are  from  the  stone  graves.  See  Figs.  6 
and  7.  They  show  the  features  of  the  people.  Three  more 
terra  cotta  heads  are  presented  in  the  next  cuts.  See  Figs.  8 
and  9.  These  are  the  handles  of  terra  cotta  bowls,  modeled  in 
imitation  of  the  human  head.  They  are  valuable  as  illustrating 
two  or  three  important  points.  They  may  not  have  been  exact 
imitations  of  the  faces  of  the  stone  grave  people,  yet  we  think 
that  they  give  some  idea  as  to  how  these  people  looked.  They 
also  show  the  style  of  head-dress  which  was  common  among 
the  people. 


Fig.  10.— Pottery  Heads  Used  as  Handles. 

The  head-dresses  in  the  pottery  handles  are  apparently  full  of 
symbols,  and  what  is  more  the  symbols  are  very  similar  to  those 
found  in  the  shell  gorgets  and  have  a  general  resemblance  to 
those  discovered  in  Mexico  and  Central  America. 

We  ask  the  question,  in  view  of  these  portraits  and  the 
imitative  skill  which  they  exhibit,  whether  any  northern  Indian 
of  the  hunter  class  was  likely  to  have  been  the  manufacturer  of 
them.  We  ask  further  whether  the  contrast  in  the  features 
does  not  lead  us  to  the  recognition  of  different  races  among  the 
mound-builders?  Shall  we  not  trace  the  races  back  to  different 
stocks  and  families,  some  of  them  to  the  Mongolians,  some  of 
them  to  the  Basques,  some  of  them  to  the  Malays. 

IV.  We  now  come  to  the  evidence  furnished  by  the  burial 
customs,  (i)  The  first  fact  which  is  brought  to  our  atten 
tion  is  that  a  new  material  seems  to  be  used  in  the  structures.  In 
all  other  districts  earth  was  the  material  employed,  but  here 
stone  seems  to  have  been  used.  The  structures  of  the  Mound- 
builders  are  generally  earth-works.  Earth  is  the  material  used 


110 

even  in  the  tombs,  the  large  majority  of  the  burial  mounds, 
especially  in  the  northern  districts,  having  been  constructed  of 
mere  earth,  some  of  them  stratified  and  some  of  them  unstrati- 
fied.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  burial  mounds  in  Ohio  which  contain 
within  them  chambers  formed  from  logs,  the  dead  having  been 
placed  in  these  as  if  they  were  chambers  in  which  they  rested. 
There  are  also,  as  we  have  seen,  certain  vaults  constructed  from 
stone,  some  of  them  being  arched,  others  with  square  angles. 
Specimens  of  these  are  found  in  Illinois  and  Missouri.  Dr.  Cyrus 
Thomas  speaks  of  the  burial  pits  which  were  found  in  North 
Carolina.  These  pits  contain  conical  stone  chambers,  some  of 
them  being  built  over  the  body — the  body  being  in  a  standing 


Fig.  11.— Panther  Pipe  from  Carthage,  Mo. 

attitude — but  others  being  lower  and  having  the  body  in  a  sit 
ting  posture.  Dr.  Thomas  has  ascribed  these  to  the  Cherokees 
and  thinks  that  they  may  have  been  modern  in  their  origin.  In 
none  of  the  other  districts,  however,  do  we  find  the  use  of  stone 
so  common  as  in  this,  and  in  none  are  stone  graves  so  numerous. 
(2)  The  second  peculiarity  which  we  notice  is  this :  the  graves 
are  built  in  tiers,  one  above  the  other,  each  tier  being  drawn  in 
so  as  to  make  a  pyramid  or  cone,  the  whole  heap  having  been 
ultimately  covered  with  earth,  and  so  a  mound  which  externally 
resembles  other  mounds  was  the  result.  This  was  a  novel  method 
of  constructing  mounds  out  of  tombs,  and  is  peculiar  to  this 
region.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  a  few  mounds  constructed  some 
what  after  this  pattern — a  tomb  of  logs  above  another  tomb  being 
found  in  them.  This  is  a  different  type,  however,  and  must 
have  been  built  by  an  entirely  different  class  of  people.  The 
Grave  Creek  mound  is  a  specimen  of  this  kind.  It  was  a  large, 
high  conical  mound,  and  contained  two  chambers,  one  above 
the  other;  but  the  chambers  contained  a  few  bodies,  with  the 
relics,  showing  that  an  unusual  personage  was  buried  there.  The 


Ill 

stone  graves  which  are  found  in  Ohio  and  Illinois  are  not  built  in 
tiers,  but  are  merely  cists  which  are  arranged  on  the  same  level, 
either  disconnectedly  or  in  rows.  The  majority  of  these  are 
covered  with  mounds,  but  sometimes  are  placed  above  the  sur 
face  and  covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  soil.  Mr.  W.  K.  Moore- 
head  found  stone  graves  in  the  south  enclosure  of  Fort  Ancient, 
and  has  a  cut  of  the  same,  which  he  has  kindly  loaned  us. 

3  Another  peculiarity  oi  the  stone  graves  is  that  there  was  so 
much  religious  symbolism  embodied  in  them.*  The  graves 
were  arranged  in  a  circle  around  a  space  in  which  a  fire  was 
contained.  The  bodies  were  placed  in  the  graves,  with  the  head 
out  and  the  feet  toward  the  fire.  At  the  head  of  the  bodies,  near 
the  outside  of  the  mounds,  was  a  circle  of  urns,  thus  making  a 
series  of  concentric  circles,  which  remind  us  of  the  circles  on  the 
shell  gorgets  which  are  sometimes  buried  with  the  bodies.  In 
some  of  the  graves  there  were  jars  at  the  feet  of  the  skeletons 
and  pipes  in  the  hands.  The  pipes  found  in  the  stone  graves 
were  generally  duck  pipes,  for  the  ''duck"  seems  to  have  been 
the  common  totem  of  the  stone  grave  people.  There  are  no 
duck  pipes  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  though  there  are  many  imita 
tions  of  other  birds  and  animals. 

The  pottery  in  the  stone  graves  are  often  adorned  with  ducks' 
heads  and  tails  for  handles,  the  vessel  making  the  body.  Many 
are  in  imitation  of  fish,  frogs  and  coons,  the  body  of  the  fish 
constituting  the  receptacle. 

4.  Gen.  Thruston  has  spoken  of  the  typical  short  skulls  in  the 
Tennessee  mounds,  and  has  compared  them  to  the  Cliff-dwellers 
and  Peruvians.  Mr.  Lucien  Carr  says  that  there  are  no  flat 
tened  skulls  among  the  stone  graves,  and  thinks  that  this  proves 
that  they  were  not  Natchez,  the  Chickasas  or  Choctaws.  Mr. 
Moorehead  thinks  that  this  type  of  skall  can  not  be  assigned  to 
the  Shawnce  Indians,  either  in  Ohio  or  Tennessee,  but  thinks 
that  the  same  people  built  the  stone  graves  in  both  regions. f 

He  says  that  their  decayed  condition,  the  rude  implements 
and  the  forest  trees  towering  above  them,  combine  to  establish 
the  great  age  of  the  burials.  Skulls  similar  to  these  have  been 
found  in  the  great  mounds  near  Detroit  by  Mr.  Henry  Oilman, 
and  were  pronounced  by  him  as  representatives  of  the  most 
ancient  race  and  typical  Mound-builders.  The  opinion  has  been 
expressed  that  this  race  migrated  from  the  South  to  the  North, 
and  once  filled  the  entire  Mississippi  valley,  making  the  chain  of 
the  great  lakes  a  barrier  between  themselves  and  the  dolico- 
cephalic  race  which  occupied  the  region  between  the  lakes  and  the 

*There  are  old  Indians  who  maintain  that  the  fire  is  there  burning,  and  that  It 
was  a  sacred  flame.  The  custom  existed  among  the  Cherokees  of  taking  fire  Irom 
the  rotundas  and  lighting  the  fire  in  the  houses  at  certain  seasons,  resembling  the 
Mextran  custom*  and  t1  at  common  among  the  Romans. 

fThe  reader  will  find  the  symbolism  of  the  stoiie  grave  people  fully  illustrated  in 
the  author's  work  on  Native  Myths  and  Symbols. 


112 

Arctic  sea.*  Sir  Daniel  Wilson  maintains,  "not  by  one,  but  by  di 
verse  routes,  the  fathers  of  the  American  nation  found  their  way 
thither,  some  by  Behring  Straits  and  the  Aleutian  Islands,  oth-jrs 
by  a  route  across  the  Pacific,  others  by  Iceland  and  Green 
land,  across  the  northern  Atlantic,  and  others  by  the  route  which 
Columbus  took  in  1492."  He  speaks  of  the  remoteness  of  the 
migrations  by  which  colonization  to  the  new  world  was  effected. 
Still  the  same  writer  says  the  predominant  national  character 
istic  of  southern  tribes  appear  to  have  been  brachy-cephalic,  or 
globular,  but  along  the  great  lakes,  the  dolic-cephalic  torm  of 
the  head  prevails.  He  says  that  Canada  has  no  such  evidences 
of  an  incipient  native  civilization  as  the  remarkable  earth-works 
which  abound  at  the  south  of  Lake  Erie  would  prove.f 

5.  The  civilization  of  the  stone  grave  people  is  in  marked  con 
trast  with  that  of  the  Indian  tribes  which  inhabited  the  region 
after  the  times  of  history.  In  fact,  the  brachy-cephalic  people, 
whether  here  or  in  Ohio,  were  much  more  civilized  than  the 
dolico  cephalic.  This  we  gather  from  the  testimony  of  all 
authors,  even  those  who  hold  that  the  Mound-builders  were 
Indians  and  are  identified  with  those  known  to  history. 

The  character  of  their  art  will  illustrate  this.  No  writings 
or  inscriptions  or  hieroglypics  as  such  have  been  lound,  but 
there  are  many  tablets  and  shell  gorgets  which  show  a  high 
grade  of  symbolism.  Gen.  Thurston  thinks  that  the  Mound- 
builders  of  Tennessee  are  the  same  as  those  who  built  the  great 
mound  at  Cahokia,  111.,  Stltzerville,  Miss.,  Etowah,  Ga.,  and  the 
lodge  circles  of  New  Madrid  and  northeast  Arkansas.  He  ob 
tained  four  hundred  and  fiity  perfect  vessels  or  images  from 
Nashville,  which  were  almost  exact  duplicates  of  those  at 
Cahokia  and  New  Madrid.  He  thinks  that  the  ceremonial 
scepters,  the  chipped  stone  hooks  or  sickles,  wrought  agricul 
tural  implements,  carved  pipes  and  fine  specimens  of  pottery  fur 
nish  indications  of  a  high  grade  of  art.  The  ornaments  on  the 
pottery  are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  South  The  plastering 
tools  show  that  there  was  a  division  of  labor,  and  the  pipes  show 
that  the  people  were  both  serpent  worshipers  and  sun  worship 
ers,  but  retained  their  animal  totems. 

There  are  traces  connecting  these  tribes  with  the  ancient 
pyramid-builders  of  Mexico  and  the  pueblo-builders  of  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona.  The  same  race  that  built  up  the  ancient 
cities  of  Mexico  also  pushed  eastward  and  colonized  the  Missis 
sippi  valley.  Another  wave  of  immigration,  probably  a  more 
savage  race  of  hunters,  came  from  the  northwest  and  swept  the 
civilization  away  or  substituted  the  ruder  condition  which  we 
now  ascribe  to  the  Indians. ;|; 


*Scc  Morris  <  'ivili/ut  ion. 

addre**    h.-loic    American    As^ociat  i<  n    at    Monm-al.     Report   vol.    XXXI, 

JSee  Antiquities  «>l  Tram •>-<-,:-,  pp.  i,-J,  Tii,  s7,  1-VJ,  Hi.",. 


MAPS  OF  WOBKS  ON  THE  KENAWHA  AND  WATEBEE  KIVEES. 


VILLAGE  WITH  LODGE  CIKCLES  AND  BURIAL  MOUNDS. 


VILLAGE  WITH  LODGE  CIRCLES,  DOMICILIARY  AND 
BURIAL  MOUNDS. 


113 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

One  of  the  most  striking  peculiarities  about  the  Mound-build 
ers  was  that  they  avoided  the  coast  and  concentrated  their  forces 
thoroughly  in  the  interior,  making  the  rivers  their  special  places 
of  resort.  We  have  already  spoken  of  this  in  connection  with 
the  Mississippi  River,  and  have  shown  that  it  was  the  great 
thoroughfare  for  the  prehistoric  races,  the  migrations  of  the 
races  having  been  along  its  channels  in  both  directions.  Some 
of  the  races — such  as  the  Dakotas — are  known  to  have  passed 
up  from  the  south  to  the  north,  Perhaps  the  Mound-builders 
passed  down  from  the  north  to  the  south  at  an  earlier  date.  The 
Missouri  River  was  another  great  artery  which  supplied  life  to 
the  Mound-builders'  territory.  It  is  said  that  there  are  various 
mounds  of  the  pyramidal  type  on  the  Missouri  River,  and  that 
these  have  been  traced  at  intervals  along  the  channels,  giving 
evidence  that  this  was  the  route  which  the  pyramid-builders  took 
before  they  reached  the  stopping  place.  At  its  mouth  was  the 
capital  of  the  pyramid-builders.  The  Ohio  River  was  also  an 
artery  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory.  It  was  the  channel 
through  which  the  various  Mound-builders  poured.  The  Ohio 
River  was  the  dividing  line  between  the  northern  class  of  mound- 
builders,  who  were  probably  hunters,  and  the  southern  class,  who 
were  agriculturists.  It  was  itself  occupied  by  a  people  who 
were  in  a  mingled  agricultural  and  hunter  state.  They  were, 
however,  so  surrounded  by  war-like  tribes  as  to  be  obliged  to 
dwell  in  fortified  villages;  and  so  it  was  the  home  of  the  "-village" 
mound-builders. 

There  is  no  more  interesting  region  in  all  the  mound-builders' 
territory  than  this  one  through  which  the  Ohio  River  ran.  It 
was  the  favorite  resort  for  the  Mound-builders  throughout  all 
the  prehistoric  times.  There  were  prairies  to  the  west,  which 
were  occupied  by  a  class  of  people  whose  works  and  relics  are 
still  prevalent,  whom  we  call  nomadics.  There  was  to  the  east 
and  northeast  another  class  of  Mound-builders — a  class  whose 
works  show  that  they  were  military  in  their  character,  possibly 
the  same  race  which  recently  dwelt  in  New  York  State,  and  who 
also  left  their  tokens  all  along  the  shores  of  the  great  lakes  and 
extended  into  the  State  of  Michigan.  To  the  south  and  south 
east  were  the  remarkable  works  which  have  been  ascribed  to  the 
Cherokees,  some  of  which  belonged  to  an  unknown  class  of 
Mound-builders  who  preceded  them.  To  the  southwest  were 
the  many  different  tribes  of  mound-builders — the  stone  grave 
people,  the  lodge  dwellers  and  the  pyramid-builders 


114 

The  pyramid-builders  were  situated  farther  to  the  south,  in 
the  Gulf  States,  though  a  portion  of  them  were  located  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  in  Illinois.  There  are  also  pyramids  scat 
tered  along  the  Missouri  River  as  far  north  as  Dakota.  Some 
have  thought  that  this  proves  that  that  they  came  originally  from 
the  northwest  and  that  their  route  was  down  this  river.  This 
theory  is  not  carried  out,  however,  by  tradition,  for  one  of  these 
make  the  pyramid-builders  to  have  originated  in  Mexico  and 
their  route  to  have  been  from  the  west  to  the  east.  Another 
makes  their  origin  to  have  been  somewhere  west,  but  their  route, 
owing  to  enemies  which  they  met,  was  up  the  river  on  one  side 
and  down  on  the  other,  and  so  across  the  Ohio  into  Tennessee 
and  the  region  east,  into  the  neighborhood  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 


- 


J^g.  1. — Grave  Greek  Mound, 

These,  however,  were  all  on  rivers  connected  with  the  Ohio,  so 
that  one  could  pass  from  the  region  of  the  Ohio  Mound-builders 
to  nearly  all  the  other  districts  where  mounds  have  been  discov 
ered  and  not  leave  the  boat  or  canoe  in  which  he  started,  as  the 
rivers  were  all  navigable.  We  see,  then,  that  the  Ohio  River 
was  very  central,  that  it  not  only  traversed  the  mound-builders' 
territory,  but,  with  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri,  may  be  said 
to  have  drained  the  entire  upper  half  of  it,  and  by  its  branches 
— the  Cumberland,  the  Tennessee  and  the  Kenawha — it  also 
drained  much  of  the  lower  half. 

Now  we  propose  to  enter  this  district  and  make  a  special  study 
of  it.  We  shall  study  it,  however,  mainly  as  a  thoroughfare, 
through  which  the  Mound-builders  passed,  or  as  a  center  from 
which  they  scattered,  and  shall  seek  evidences  of  their  migra 
tions,  and,  if  possible,  learn  the  direction  they  took,  and  the 
dates  or  periods,  or  at  least  the  order  of  each.  It  should  be 


115 


noticed  at  the  outset  that  the  Mound-builders  of  the  Ohio  River 
were  divided  into  different  classes,  some  of  them  being  earlier 
and  some  later  in  the  district.  Several  may  be  recognized.  It 
still  further  may  be  stated  that  along  this  river  a  division  has 
been  recognized  in  the  works  of  the  district,  one  class  being 
situated  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Alleghany  River,  another  on 
the  Muskingum  and  Scioto,  a  third  on  the  Miami,  and  from  the 
Miami  to  the  Wabash,  a  fourth  on  the  Wabash,  from  the  Wabash 
to  the  Missouri,  a  fifth  class  on  the  Cumberland  and  the  Ten 
nessee,  a  sixth  class  on  the  St.  Francis  in  Arkansas,  a  little  beyond 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and  a  seventh  class  on  the  Kentucky 
and  the  Kenawha.  All  of  these  are,  however,  closely  connected 
with  the  Ohio,  as  the  great  artery  through  which  the  life  of  the 
mound-builders  flowed. 

We  find  a  great  variety  of  races  in  these  localities,  as  each 
sub-district  had  a  class  of  earth-works  peculiar  to  itself — the 


Fig.  2— Map  of  Works  on  Paint  Creek. 

chambered  tomb  on  the  Alleghany,  of  which  the  Grave  Greek 
mound  is  a  type  (see  Fig.  i);  the  sacred  circles  and  village  enclo 
sures  on  the  Scioto  (see  Fig.  2)  and  Muskingum;  the  ancient 
forts  on  the  Little  and  Big  Miami  (see  Fig.  3);  the  conical 
mounds  on  the  Wabash  River  (see  Fig.  4);  the  lodge  circles  and 
walled  villages  on  the  St.  Francis  River;  the  stone  graves  on  the 
Cumberland  River  (see  Fig.  5),  and  the  bee-hive  tomb  on  the 
Kenawha  River.  The  strangest  feature  of  all  is  that  in  this 
region  we  find  the  representatives  of  all  the  mound-builders' 
works — the  great  serpent  representing  the  effigy-builders,  the 
altar  mounds  and  fire-beds  apparently  representing  the  hunters 
of  Iowa ;  the  pyramids  near  Evansville  representing  the  pyra 
mid-builders  ;  the  bee-hive  tombs  representing  the  mountaineers 
in  North  Carolina;  the  circular  enclosures,  representing  the  sun 
worshipers;  some  of  the  fortifications  representing  the  military 
people  of  New  York ;  the  stone  forts  representing  the  stone 
grave  people  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  the  ash  pits  rep 
resenting  the  later  race  of  hunters  which  traversed  the  region  at 
a  late  date. 


116 

We  may  say,  then,  that  it  is  a  peculiarly  favorable  place  to 
study  the  migrations  of  the  Mound-builders,  as  well  as  of  the 
later  Indians.  Now  in  reference  to  this  subject  of  migration,  we 
are  aware  that  various  writers  have  treated  of  it,  and  it  may  be 
regarded  as  a  test  case,  having  great  bearing  on  the  mound- 
builders'  problem.  It  may  be  well,  then,  to  refer  to  these  opin 
ions  before  we  go  further.  We  shall  speak  first  of  the  theory 
which  Dr,  Thomas  has  advanced.  It  is  that  the  Mound-builders 
of  the  Alleghany  River,  those  of  Southern  Ohio,  of  the  Kenawha 
Valley  and  of  Eastern  Tennessee,  were  all  the  same  people  and 
were  the  ancestors  of  the  Cherokees.  Opposite  to  this  theory 
is  that  of  Sir  Wm.  Dawson,  who  holds  that  the  Mound-builders 


JP 

Fig.  S.—Fort  at  Hardinsburgh,  on  the  Miami  River. 

were  a  people  similar  to  the  Toltecan  race.  Their  features  re 
semble  the  softer  features  of  the  Polynesians.  Dr.  Dawson 
thinks,  however,  that  the  Algonkins  were  a  later  people  and  that 
they  came  from  the  southeast,  or,  as  he  says,  from  the  "equator 
ial  Atlantic" — a  theory  perfectly  untenable.  Dr,  Horatio  Hale 
holds  that  the  Algonkins  came  from  the  northwest,  but  that  they 
found  the  Mound-builders  before  them.  He  locates  them  at  first 
north  of  the  Ohio,  making  their  course  to  be  south  and  across 
this  river.  Dr.  Daniel  Wilson,  however,  holds  that  the  Mound- 
builders  were  made  up  of  a  number  of  races;  some  of  them  were 
allied  to  the  Toltecan,  or,  possibly,  to  the  Malays  ;  some  to  the 
Algonkins  and  the  Mongolian  stock;  and  some  to  the  ancient 
Hochelagans,  of  which  the  Eries  and  the  Alleghans  were  the 
fragments.  The  opinion  we  advance  is  similar  to  that  of  Dr. 
Wilson,  but  in  addition  we  would  suggest  that  some  of  them  were 


117 


allied  to  the  Iberians,  and  that  the  sun-worshipers  and  serpent- 
worshipers  of  the  Ohio  River  were  similar  to  the  class  who  left 
their  symbols  in  Great  Britain  and  in  Western  Europe. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  different  theories,  and  are  to  take  our 
choice  out  of  them  all.     Our  work,  however,  is  not  to  advance 


and  prove  a  theory,  but  to  study  the  tokens  and  ascertain  what 
their  testimony  is.  We  enter  the  field,  which  is  very  rich  in 
prehistoric  works,  but  these  require  the  closest  study  for  us 
to  separate  the  tokens  and  assign  them  to  the  proper  dates  and 
order  and  races,  and  learn  from  them  the  order  and  the  direction 
which  those  races  observed  in  their  migrations. 

The  question  is,  How  are  we  to  do  this?     We  answer  that 
there  are  three  ways.     First,  we  may  take  the  location  and  the 


118 

traditions  of  the  Indians;  second,  we  may  take  the  works  of 
this  district  and  compare  them  with  other  earth-works,  noticing 
the  resemblances  and  studying  the  similarity  of  customs  and 
habits;  and,  third,  we  may  take  the  relics  of  the  Mound  builders 
and  see  what  relics  are  found  in  this  district,  and  how  they  com 
pare  with  those  found  elsewhere.  V/e  take  the  Ohio  as  con 
nected  with  other  rivers  and  as  a  center  as  connected  with  other 
centers,  and  see  that  it  was  a  great  thoroughfare  for  the  prehis 
toric  races. 


Fig.  5.— Typical  Fort  of  the  Stone  Grave  People. 

I.  First,  let  us  consider  the  traditions  of  the  Indian  tribes  as 
to  their  migrations:  i.  The  Cherokees  were  a  tribe  situated,  at 
the  opening  of  history,  among  the  mountains  of  East  Tennes 
see  and  perhaps  as  far  east  as  North  Carolina.  There  is  a  com 
mon  tradition  that  the  Cherokees  were  at  one  time  in  the  Ohio 
Valley.  2.  The  Dakotas ;  this  tribe  or  stock  was,  at  the  opening 
of  history,  located  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  in  the  State 
which  bears  their  name.  The  Dakotas  have  a  tradition  that  they 
were  once  on  the  Ohio  River,  and  that  they  migrated  from  there 
to  the  west.  3.  The  Natchez  were  a  tribe  formerly  situated 
near  the  City  of  Natchez.  They  were  sun-worshipers.  It  is 
supposed  by  some  that  the  Natchez  built  the  sun  symbols  in 
Ohio,  but  that  they  changed  their  methods  and  adopted  the 
pyramid  as  their  typical  work  afterward.  4.  The  Tetons,  a 


119 

branch  of  the  Dakotas,  were  probably  once  in  this  region,  though 
their  home  was  afterward  in  the  northern  part  of  Georgia.  5. 
The  Eries  have  been  spoken  of  as  possibly  the  ancestors  of  the 
Mound-builders  and  as  belonging  to  the  same  stock  as  the  Alle- 
ghewis  of  tradition.  6.  The  Shawnees,  a  tribe  of  the  Algonkin 
stock.  They  were  great  wanderers,  and  left  their  tokens  in 
many  localities.  The  district  is  full  of  graves  of  the  Shawnees, 
which  are  interspersed  among  the  works  of  the  preceding 
mound-builders,  but  which  are  easily  distinguishable  from  them 
by  their  modern  appearance  and  by  certain  characteristics  which 
are  indefinable,  but  which  are  nevertheless  easily  recognizable. 
7.  The  Iroquois  have  reached  as  far  south  as  the  Ohio  River. 
We  should  undoubtedly  find  various  relics  left  by  this  tribe  in 
the  periods  preceding  history. 


r 
Fig.  6.— Burial  Mounds  on  the  Scioto  River,  Ohio. 

Now  the  point  we  make  is  that  possibly  we  may  find  in  the 
traditions  of  one  or  all  of  these  tribes  something  which  will  help 
us  to  identify  the  mounds  and  relics  of  the  region  with  the  peo 
ple  who  built  them.  We  must,  however,  consider  one  thing 
before  we  undertake  this.  While  there  are  traditions  among  the 
Indians  as  to  their  former  struggles  and  conquests  about  this  re 
gion,  there  are  also  evidences  of  preceding  migrations,  and  this 
evidence  comes  to  us  as  a  confirmation  that  the  Mound-builders 
here  were  not  one  people  but  many.  In  fact,  it  was  a  swarming 
place  for  several  tribes  or  stocks.  With  this  point  in  mind  we 
may  safely  take  up  tradition  as  one  source  of  evidence.  The 
great  rivers  are  supposed  to  have  a  record  of  migrations  written 
upon  their  banks,  the  works  and  the  various  traditions  of  the 
Indians  being  by  some  identified  with  each  river  and  the  promi 
nent  mounds  on  each  having  been  identified  as  the  seat  of  some 
great  event  known  in  history  or  tradition. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  tradition,  which  has  been  repeated  so 
many  times  by  the  natives  and  gathered  by  the  missionaries  and 
by  Schoolcraft,  Heckwelder  and  others/in  relation  to  the  very 
migration  we  are  now  considering,  has  been  located  in  many  dif 
ferent  places — first  on  the  Mississippi,  next  on  the  St.  Lawrence, 


120 

next  on  the  St.  Clair.  It  seems  to  have  found  its  last  resting  place 
in  this  very  district,  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Ohio.  The  cele 
brated  Grave  Creek  mound  is  said  to  be  the  very  spot  where  the 
event  is  commemorated.  Now  we  would  not  depreciate  the 
value  of  the  tradition  as  one  of  the  connecting  links  between  the 
history  of  the  Mound-builders  and  the  modern  Indians,  but  refer 
to  the  point  as  an  evidence  of  the  importance  of  discrimination 
in  the  matter  of  migrations. 

Haywood  says  the  Cherokees  had  a  tradition  in  which  was 
contained  the  history  of  their  migrations.  It  was  that  they  came 
from  the  upper  part  of  the  Ohio,  where  they  erected  earth 
works.  But  there  is  a  map  contained  in  Catlin's  book  on  the 
Indians  which  represents  the  route  taken  by  the  Mandans,  a 
branch  of  the  Dakotas.  This  map  makes  Ohio  the  starting 
point  of  that  people,  and  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri  the 
termination  of  their  wanderings.  We  regard  this  tradition  as 
important  as  that  of  the  Delawares  or  of  the  Iroqnois,  but  it  is 
a  tradition  which  gives  just  the  opposite  direction  for  the  route 
of  the  Mound-builders  of  the  district.  How  shall  we  reconcile 
the  two  accounts?  Our  method  of  reconciling  is  one  which  we 
take  from  the  study  of  the  mounds.  The  Dakota  tradition  refers 
to  a  migration  which  probably  preceded  all  the  records  of  either 
the  Teleghewi,  the  Cherokees,  the  Delawares  and  the  Iroquois, 
the  migration  of  the  strange  serpent  worshipers  originally  occu 
pying  this  district.  Our  position  is  that  all  of  the  traditions  are 
important,  but  they  prove  a  succession  of  populations  in  this 
region.  If  Dr.  Thomas  is  to  locate  the  Cherokees  here,  we  also 
locate  the  ancestors  of  the  Dakotas,  and  leave  the  way  open  for 
others  to  locate  other  tribes,  so  making  the  Mound-builders  not 
one,  but  diverse  and  long  continued.  This  is  our  point. 

We  may  well  take  up  the  study  of  locality  as  connected  with 
the  traditions.  Heckwelder  says  the  Lenni  Lenape  resided,  many 
hundred  years  ago,  in  a  distant  country  in  the  west.  They 
migrated  eastward,  and  came  to  a  fort  and  large  town  of  the 
Namaesippi,  as  they  called  the  country  occupied  by  the  Telle- 
ghewi,  who  had  many  large  towns  and  regular  fortifications. 
One  of  these  towns  was  near  the  mouth  of  the  Huron,  and  here 
are  the  mounds  containing  the  bodies  of  the  slain  Telleghewi. 
Heckwelder  also  says  the  Mengwe  and  the  Lenni  Lenape  united 
their  forces,  and  great  battles  were  fought.  The  enemy  fortified 
their  lars^e  towns  and  erected  fortifications  on  the  rivers  and 
lakes.  The  war  lasted  many  years.  In  the  end  the  invaders 
conquered  and  divided  the  country  between  them.  The  Mengwe 
made  choice  of  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  the  great  lakes,  and 
the  Lenape  took  possession  of  the  country  to  the  south.  The 
Alleghewi,  finding  destruction  inevitable,  abandoned  the  coun 
try  and  fled  down  the  Mississippi,  from  whence  they  never  re 
turned.  Here,  then,  we  have  the  Algonkin  account,  and  we 


MAP  OP  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  DISTRICT. 


121 

seem  to  be  looking  at  a  picture  of  the  Mound-builders  who 
had  occupied  the  territory.  There  is  a  discrepancy,  however, 
in  the  tradition,  or  rather  the  interpretation  of  it.  The  scene  is 
located  on  the  Namaesippi.  which  Heckwelder  calls  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  the  flight  is  down  that  river;  but  Heckwelder,  in 
another  place,  locates  one  great  battle  nearly  west  ot  the  St. 
Clair  and  another  just  south  of  Lake  Erie,  where  hundreds  of 
the  Telleghewi  were  buried  in  the  mounds.  This  tradition 
accords  with  the  passages  in  Cusick's  narrative,  a  narrative  which 
comes  from  the  Iroquois  rather  than  from  the  Delawares  or 
Lenapes.  It  also  may  accord  with  the  poetical  account  contained 
in  the  Walum  Olum,  or  the  red  score  of  the  Delawares,  trans 
lated  by  Dr.  D.  G.  Brinton.  Mr.  Hale,  in  THE  AMERICAN  ANTI 
QUARIAN,  has  said  that  the  country  from  which  the  Lenni  Lenape 
migrated  was  "Shinake,  the  land  of  fir  trees."  the  woody  region 
north  of  Lake  Superior,  and  thinks  that  the  River  St.  Lawrence 
is  meant  by  the  word  great  river  Namaesippi.  He,  however, 
locates  the  battle  mounds  at  St.  Clair  and  the  Detroit  River  and 
makes  the  Hurons  the  allies  of  the  Lenape.  All  the  accounts 
agree  in  this,  that  the  Telleghewi  were  east  of  a  great  river  and 
that  they  were  defeated  and  driven  south.  Dr.  Thomas  thinks 
that  the  tradition  assists  him  in  carrying  out  the  full  identifica 
tion  of  the  Telleghewi  with  the  mound-builders  of  this  middle 
district,  whom  he  regards  as  the  ancestors  ot  the  Cherokees. 
He  says  that  the  Telleghewi  or  Tsalake  was  the  name  the  Cher- 
kees  gave  themselves.  The  tradition  of  the  Cherokees  refers  to 
the  region  of  the  Upper  Ohio  as  their  former  home.  The  testi 
mony  of  the  mounds  and  of  the  Walum  Olum  are  in  accord 
with  the  Grave  Creek  mound  and  those  found  in  the  Kenawha 
Valley,  and  when  compared  with  the  Ohio  mounds  prove  that 
this  was  their  home  and  the  retreat  was  by  way  of  the  Kenawha 
River.  Now  this  is  very  plausible,  and,  so  far  as  it  goes,  it  may 
prove  satisfactory.  Still  we  may  say  that  there  are  traditions 
which  locate  other  tribes  in  the  same  region,  tribes  which  are  of 
entirely  different  stock  from  the  Alleghewi.  On  this  point  we 
would  refer  to  the  map  contained  in  Catlin's  Indians  and  to  the 
one  prepared  by  Mr.  J.  O.  Dorsey.  These  show  that  the  tradi 
tionary  route  of  the  Dakotas  was  in  the  opposite  direction  from 
that  of  the  Cherokees. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  earth-works.  We  have  said  that 
there  are  many  earth-works  in  this  district,  and  that  they  can  be 
divided  both  according  to  their  geographical  location  and  their 
chronological  horizon.  We  have  also  said  that  the  representa 
tives  of  the  works  of  other  districts  are  found  in  this,  and  that 
these  representatives  may  help  us  to  identify  the  people  who 
once  passed  through  this  great  channel.  We  are  now  to  take 
up  the  different  districts  and  see  what  similarities  there  are.  Let 
us  first  notice  the  centers  of  population.  It  is  very  remarkable 


122 


that  these  centers  very  closely  correspond  in  the  historic  and 
the  prehistoric  times.  To  illustrate:  The  effigies  are  near  the 
cities  of  Madison  and  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  ;  the  burial  mounds 
of  one  class  are  not  far  from  St.  Paul,  another  class  not  far  from 
Davenport,  Icwa ;  the  serpent  mound  (see  Fig,  8)  not  far  from 

Quincy,  Illinois;  a 
pyramid  mound  just 
opposite  St.  Louis, 
others  near  the  City 
of  Natchez,  Mississ 
ippi;  the  stone  grave 
people  near  the  City 
Nashville,  Tennes 
see;  the  bee  -  hive 
tombs  near  the  City 
Knoxville,  Tennes 
see  ;  the  Grave  Creek 
mound  not  far  from 
Pittsburg;  the  sacred 
enclosures  near  Chil- 
licothe,  Newark  and 
Cincinnati,  and  the 
very  large  conical 
mounds  near  De 
troit,  Vincennes  (see 
Fig.  4),  Dayton  and 
Hamilton. 

Here,  then,  we 
have  a  map  of  the 
country,  with  the 
centers  marked.  The 
rivers  [also  unite 
these  centers  —  the 
Alleghany,  Muskin- 
gum.the  Miami,  the 
Wabash.  the  Cum 
berland,  the  Tennes 
see,  the  Illinois,  the 
Wisconsin,  the  Iowa, 
the  DesMoines,  the 
Missouri,  the  St.  Francis,  the  Red,  the  Arkansas,  the  Yazoo,  the 
Ocmulgee,  the  Tombigbee,  the  Kenawha  and  the  Kentucky,  and 
they  all  contain  mounds  on  their  banks. 

III.  The  question  is  about  the  resemblances  between  the  works 
in  these  different  centers  and  those  on  the  Ohio.  There  may  be 
resemblances  where  there  were  no  migrations,  but  the  probabil- 
ties  are  that  they  were  caused  by  the  adherence  of  the  migrat- 
ng  tribes  to  their  former  customs,  the  people  retaining  the  signs 


123 

and  burial  customs  wherever  they  went.  This  is  seen  in  many 
districts.  The  sun-worshipers  built  the  circles  and  squares,  the 
serpent-worshipers  built  serpent  effigies,  the  pyramid-builders 
built  platforms,  the  hunters  built  lookout  mounds  and  game 
drives,  the  military  people  built  forts;  but  they  went  elsewhere, 
for  we  find  serpent  effigies,  circular  enclosures,  lookout  mounds, 
fortifications,  burial  chambers,  altar  mounds  and  pyramids  in 
other  localities  as  well  as  here. 

We  give  here  cuts  of  the  serpent  in  Ohio  and  of  the  serpent 
effigy  near  Quincy,  Illinois.  These  effigies  are  respectively 
1250  and  1400  feet  in  length.  They  are  both  conformed  to  the 
shape  of  the  bluffs  on  which  they  were  erected,  and  have  other 
features  which  are  similar. 

This,  then,  is  the  point  we  make  in  connection  with  the  mid 
dle  district.  We  enter  this  district  and  find  that  different  races 


Fig.  8.— Serpent  Mound  in  Illinois. 

passed  through  it.  Some  were  early  and  some  late.  We  also 
find  that  the  tribes  went  in  different  directions,  some  going  to 
the  south  and  along  the  sea  coast,  and  became  the  sea  coast 
people;  some  to  the  southwest,  across  the  mountains,  and  be 
came  mountaineers;  some  to  the  west,  to  the  prairie  region,  and 
became  hunters;  some  to  the  Gulf  States,  and  became  agricul 
turists.  All  the  works  in  these  different  districts  show  that  the 
people  were  once  in  the  middle  district  and  had  made  the  Ohio 
River,  or  at  least  a  part  of  it,  their  stopping  place.  There  is, 
however,  one  thing  to  be  noticed.  While  the  representatives  of 
all  the  districts  are  contained  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  yet  the 
different  parts  of  that  valley  are  to  be  considered,  for  the  pyra 
mid-builders  never  appeared  on  the  eastern  waters,  the  sun- 
worshipers  never  in  the  western  part,  the  fort-builders  erected 
their  wcrks  in  the  middle  part,  and  the  serpent- worshipers 
merely  passed  through  or  crossed  over  the  central  part,  and  ulti 
mately  built  their  works  in  distant  regions.  This  is  the  way  we 
reconcile  the  different  theories,  as  to  the  modern  migrations 
which  are  recorded  in  history  and  in  tradition.  The  Cherokees 
may  have  migrated  through  the  eastern  part  of  this  valley.  If 
they  did,  it  was  at  a  comparatively  recent  date,  for  all  their  works 


124 

and  relics  show  this.  The  Shawnees  may  also  have  passed  up 
and  down  the  same  valley,  but  this  was  at  a  recent  date.  We  have 
reason  to  believe  that  a  race  of  sun-worshipers  preceded  these 
and  that  this  race  built  the  sun  circles  on  the  Kenawha  River, 
in  West  Virginia,  and  on  the  Wateree  River,  in  South  Carolina, 
although  it  is  very  uncertain  which  direction  they  took  in  their 
migrations. 

There  is  another  fact  which  should  be  noticed.  The  mounds 
were  built  at  different  times,  and  by  different  races.  They  con 
tain  layers  which  are  like  the  strata  of  geology.  These  give 
different  chronological  horizons  and  represent  different  periods. 
An  illustration  of  this  is  given.  See  Fig.  9;  also  Fig.  II.  Here 
we  have  a  mound  which  contains  a  horizontal  burial,  two  bodies 
in  a  sitting  posture,  and  an  altar  at  the  base.  These  were  not 
intruded  burials,  but  were  the  work  of  successive  races  or  tribes 
which  passed  through  this  valley,  each  one  of  which  added  to 
the  height  of  the  monnd.  The  same  thought  is  conveyed  also 


Fig.  9. — Altar  Mound  on  the  Kenawha. 

by  the  different  kinds  of  mounds  found  in  one  locality.  Some 
tribes  built  chambered  tombs,  others  stratified  mounds  and  others 
altar  mounds. 

We  take  up  the  chambered  mounds  first,  the  class  of  which  the 
Grave  Creek  mound  is  the  representative.  We  say  that  this 
class  of  mounds  is  somewhat  exceptional  in  Ohio,  but  they  seem 
to  be  later  than  the  sacred  enclosures,  or  at  least  they  are  to  be 
assigned  to  a  different  race.  We  notice  from  the  description  given 
by  Squier  and  Davis  that  they  are  rarely  if  ever  found  inside  of 
enclosures,  but  are  generally  isolated  on  hilltops.  We  find  also 
that  they  contain  an  entirely  different  class  of  relics,  and  are 
constructed  after  a  different  pattern. 

It  seems  to  be  the  opinion  of  certain  archaeologists  that  the 
Grave  Creek  mound  is  the  one  which  figures  conspicuously  in 
tradition,  and  that  this  is  the  monument  of  the  Alleghewies  or 
Cherokees.  It  may  be  said  of  it  that  it  differs  from  most  of  the 
mounds  in  Ohio  in  that  it  is  isolated,  having  no  earth-works  in 
the  neighborhood.  It  is  a  chambered  mound.  In  fact,  it  con 
tained  two  chambers,  one  above  the  other.  Each  chamber  was 
square  and  contained  a  number  of  bodies.  The  manner  of 
building  the  chamber  was  as  follows:  A  scries  of  timbers  or 
posts  were  placed  on  end,  forming  the  wall  of  the  chamber. 
Other  timbers  were  placed  across  these  upright  posts,  so  as  to 


125 

form  a  roof.  This  roof  had  decayed  and  fallen  in,  so  that  when 
the  mound  was  first  visited  it  contained  a  hollow  place  at  its 
summit.  At  the  time  of  the  exploration  the  two  chambers  be 
came  mingled  together,  the  dirt  falling  from  the  upper  into  the 
lower.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  same  race  erected  both 
chambers.  The  mound  was  a  very  high  one,  was  situated  so  as 
to  give  a  view  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  may  have  been  used  as  a 
lookout  station  as  well  as  a  burial  place.  The  Grave  Creek 
mound  also  contained  one  skeleton  in  the  upper  chamber,  and 
two  in  the  lower  chamber,  and  it  may  be  conjectured  that  they 
were  sepulchral  chambers,  which  contained  the  bones  of  the 
family  of  the  chieftan  or  distinguished  individuals  among  the 
tribe  of  the  builders.  With  these  skeletons  were  found  three  or 
four  thousand  shell  beads,  several  bracelets  of  copper  and  various 
articles  carved  in  stone.  It  is  said,  however,  that  on  reaching 
the  lower  vault  it  was  determined  to  enlarge  it  for  the  accommo 
dation  of  visitors,  and  in  so  doing  ten  more  skeletons  were 
discovered,  all  in  a  sitting  posture,  but  in  so  fragile  a  state  as  to 
defy  all  attempts  at  preservation.  We  might  say  in  connection 
with  this  Grave  Creek  mound  and  the  theory  that  it  was  built 
by  the  Cherokees,  that  the  tablet  about  which  so  much  discussion 
has  arisen,  was  said  to  be  found  in  the  lower  chamber,  though 
it  may  have  dropped  from  the  upper  one.  It  is  now  over  twenty 
years  since  the  tablet  was  thrown  out  of  court,  its  evidence 
having  been  impeached  so  many  times  that  it  has  no  weight  in 
solving  the  problem.  Still,  inasmuch  as  the  Cherokees  have  an 
alphabet,  which  was  said  to  have  been  introduced  or  invented  by 
the  Cherokee  Sequoia,  and  as  other  stones  have  been  discovered 
with  alphabetic  characters  on  them,  perhaps  the  case  should  be 
reconsidered. 

There  are  very  few  mounds  in  Ohio  which  contain  chambers 
like  these.  While  there  were  various  mounds  which  contained 
single  chambers  made  from  logs,  they  were  generally  compara 
tively  small  mounds,  and  the  chambers  within  them  were  much 
smaller.  Squier  and  Davis  have  spoken  of  a  sepulchral  mound 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Scioto  River,  one  of  a  group,  which  was 
twenty-two  feet  high  by  ninety  feet  base.  At  ten  feet  below  the 
surface  occurred  a  layer  of  charcoal;  at  the  depth  of  twenty-two 
feet  was  a  frame-work  of  timber,  nine  feet  long,  seven  feet  wide 
and  twenty  inches  wide,  which  had  been  covered  with  unhewn 
loejs.  The  bottom  had  been  covered  with  bark  matting,  and  upon 
the  matting  was  a  single  skeleton.  Around  the  neck  of  the 
skeleton  was  a  triple  row  of  beads  made  of  marine  shells,  several 
hundred  in  number,  and  the  tusks  of  some  animal.  This  is  the 
mound,  however,  to  which  we  have  referred  already.  It  was  a 
mound  which,  in  its  location,  showed  that  it  was  not  one  which 
belonged  to  the  sun-worshipers.  It  was  situated  six  miles  from 
Chillicothe,  on  a  hill,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  any  enclosure, 


126 


though  surrounded  by  other  burial  mounds  of  the  same  shape' 
See  Fig.  6.  This  mound  we  ascribe  to  a  different  race  from  those 
who  built  the  altar  mounds  and  the  enclosures. 

Dr.  Thomas  speaks  of  two  mounds  in  the  Kenawha  Valley, 
one  called  the  Smith  mound  and  the  other  No.  23,  one  being  35 
feet  high  and  175  feet  in  circumference,  the  other  25  feet  high 
and  312  feet  in  circumference.  Both  contained  chambers  made 
from  logs,  one  of  them  13  feet  long  and  12  wide,  the  other  12 
feet  across  and  some  10  feet  high.  Both  were  in  the  form  of  a 
pen.  It  appears  that  the  great  Smith  mound  contained  five  skel- 
tons,  one  very  large,  over  seven  feet  long.  Each  wrist  was 

encircled      by      copper 
bracelets;     upon     the 
breast  was  a  copper  gor 
get;  in  each  hand  were 
three  flint   lance-heads; 
near   the  right   hand   a 
small  hematite  celt  and 
a  stone   axe;  upon  the 
shoulder  three  sheets  of 
mica  and  a  fragment  of 
dressed  skin,  which  had 
been    preserved    by  the 
copper.  Another  mound 
situated  in  the  valley  of 
the  Scioto  River,  on  the 
very  lowest  terrace  (see  Fig.  10),  where  the  water  frequently  over 
flowed,  was  excavated  and  found  to  contain  chambers,  or  vaults, 
one  above  the  other.     These  vaults  were  larger,  and  of  different 
shapes,  being  36  feet  in  diameter,  and  circular  in  shape.     They 
were  built  by  posts  placed   upright,  1 1   inches  apart,  the   upper 
vault  having  two  circular  rows  of  posts,  but  the  lower  only  one. 
On  the  floor  of  each  vault  were  several  skeletons.     There  were 
also  logs  or  timbers  in  the  lower  vault,  giving  the  idea  that  this 
one  was  also  built  in  the  same  way.     Dr.  Thomas  says  there 
were  some  indications  that  the  burial  was  comparatively  recent, 
as  a  bone   showing  the  cuts   of  a  steel   knife  was  found  in  the 
vault.     The  fact  that  the  mound  was  on  the  low  ground  over 
flowed  by  the  river  also  shows  that  it  was  recent,  as  all  the  old 
mounds  were  on  the  terraces   above  the  flood  plain,  and  were 
evidently  built  when  the  water  covered  the  flood  plain,  while  this 
one  was  built  after  the  flood  plain  had  been  drained.     The  large 
vaults  with  the  modern  relic,  Dr.  Thomas  thinks,  were  used  as 
council  houses  and  that  they  resemble  those  used  by  the  Cher- 
okees  after  the  time  of  history.     The  discovery  of  a  similar  vault 
by  Mr.  Lucien  Carr  is  referred  to  in  evidence.     This  vault,  so 
called,  was  on  the  top  of  a  truncated  oval  mound  in  Lee  County, 
West  Virginia.     It  was  evidently  a  rotunda,  such  as  the  Chero- 


Fig.  10- Village  Enclosure  on  the  Scioto  River. 


127 

kees  used  as  their  places  of  assembly,  as  there  was  a  row  of 
posts  arranged  in  a  circle,  showing  this.  The  argument  which 
Dr.  Thomas  dwells  upon  is  that  the  proximity  to  the  circle  and 
square  called  the  Baum  Works  proves  it  to  have  been  built  by 
the  same  people.  This,  however,  is  the  very  point  we  make  on 
the  other  side.  It  proves  the  succession  of  races,  and  shows 
that  the  Cherokees  were  among  the  last  in  the  region,  but  were 
not  the  village  sun-worshipers,  as  is  suggested.  The  vaulted 
mounds  have  not  been  found  in  the  circles  or  squares,  nor  in 
connection  with  the  covered  ways  or  double  circles,  nor  do  they 
contain  any  such  finely  carved  relics  as  belonged  to  the  earlier 
class  of  sun-worshipers.  These  are  very  rude  and  the  mounds 
are  differently  situated. 

IV.  The  mode  of  burial  practiced  by  the  Mound-builders  is  next 
to  be  considered.  Dr.  Thomas,  in  his  work,  has  shown  one 
mode  of  burial  which  was  quite  remarkable.  It  seems  to  have 
consisted  in  the  digging  of  a  circular  pit,  and  then  placing  bodies 
in  the  pit  and  building  stone  cones  or  chambers  over  the  bodies. 
This  pit  with  stone  vaults  and  skeletons  was  explored  by  the 
agent  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology.  It  is  a  true  circle,  38  feet 
in  diameter,  not  more  than  a  foot  and  a  half  in  height.  The 
bee-hive  shaped  vaults  were  built  of  water-worn  boulders.  The 
skeleton  was  placed  upon  its  feet  and  a  wall  built  up  around  it. 
On  the  top  of  the  head  of  one  skeleton,  under  the  capstone,  were 
several  plates  of  silvery  mica.  Many  of  the  stones  of  the  little 
vaults  bore  unmistakable  evidences  of  fire.  The  only  relic  found 
was  a  pipe,  found  near  the  mouth  of  one  This  pit  was  covered 
with  a  very  low  mound.  Near  the  mound  was  a  triangle,  which 
proved  to  be  a  communal  grave.  It  was  a  burial  pit.  The  two 
long  sides  of  the  triangle  were  48  feet  each,  and  the  other  side 
32  feet.  The  depth  varied  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet. 
Here  was  a  bee-hive  shaped  vault  of  cobble  stones.  In  the  pit 
a  skeleton,  and  a  large  engraved  gorget  were  with  it;  a  number 
of  large-sized  shell  beads;  at  the  sides  of  the  head,  near  the 
ears,  five  copper  beads  or  small  cylinders ;  under  the  breast,  a 
piece  of  copper;  about  each  wrist  a  bracelet,  composed  of  alter 
nate  beads  of  copper  and  shell;  at  his  right  hand  were  four  iron 
specimens,  one  of  them  in  the  form  of  a  thin  celt:  another 
apparently  a  part  of  the  blade  of  a  long  slender  knife  or  dag 
ger;  another  a  part  of  a  round  awl-shaped  instrument.  Scattered 
over  and  between  the  skeletons  of  this  group  were  numerous 
polished  celts,  discoidal  stones,  copper  arrow-points,  plates  of 
mica,  lumps  of  paint.  About  200  yards  east  of  the  triangle  was 
another  low  mound,  covering  a  circular  pit  similar  to  the  one 
described,  in  which  were  twenty-six  skeletons.  In  a  different 
part  of  the  same  county  another  similar  pit,  containing  a  kind 
of  communal  grave,  in  which  were  the  following  articles :  One 
stone  axe,  43  polished  celts,  9  pottery  vessels,  the  handle  of  one 


128 

representing  an  owl's  head  and  another  an  eagle's  head,  32  arrow 
heads,  20  soapstone  pipes,  12  discoidal  stones,  10  rubbing  stones, 
6  engraved  shells,  4  shell  gorgets,  I  sea  shell,  5  large  copper 
beads,  a  few  rude  shell  pins.  Among  the  shell  gorgets  was  one 
containing  four  birds'  heads  with  the  looped  square  figure,  a 
symbol  of  the  sun,  and  a  figure  of  the  cross  enclosed  in  a  circle. 
The  soapstone  pipes  were  of  peculiar  shape.  One  of  them  had 
a  bowl  in  the  shape  of  a  tube,  but  with  a  flat  stem  or  mouth 
piece.  A  number  of  pipes  similar  to  this  have  been  found  in  a 
mound  in  Sullivan  County,  East  Tennessee.  Others  have  been 
found  in  West  Virginia.  A  very  modern-looking  pipe  is  also 
presented  by  Dr.  Thomas,  though  he  does  not  state  exactly 
where  it  was  found.  This  group  of  mounds  or  burial  pits  was 
situated  .on  the  borders  of  the  white  settlement,  a  locality  where 
we  would  expect  to  find  the  traces  of  contact  with  the  whites. 
The  Cherokees  long  resided  on  the  mountains  of  East  Tennes 
see.  They  took  the  patterns  for  their  pipes  from  the  whites,  but 
they  retained  many  other  relics.  The  symbolism  they  held  in 
common  with  other  tribes  was  perpetuated  intact. 

One  fact  is  to  be  noticed.  In  one  of  the  mounds  in  North 
Carolina,  the  one  which  contained  the  circular  pit,  some  eight 
or  ten  skeletons  with  heads  which  had  been  elongated  by  arti 
ficial  pressure  were  discovered.  The  Catawbas  are  said  to  have 
practiced  this  head  flattening,  as  did  many  of  the  Muskogee 
stock.  The  explorations  on  the  Little  Tennessee  River  among 
the  overhill  towns,  yielded  a  number  of  relics  which  resembled 
those  found  in  North  Carolina.  The  mounds  here  contained  a 
peculiar  style  of  clay  beds,  saucer-shaped,  varying  in  diameter 
from  six  to  fifteen  feet,  built  in  layers,  one  above  another,  three 
to  five  beds,  with  a  layer  of  coal  and  ashes  between  them.  In 
one  mound  were  found  a  number  of  skeletons,  and  by  the  side 
of  nearly  every  skeleton  were  shell  masks,  shell  pins,  shell 
beads,  perforated  shells,  engraved  shells,  discoidal  stones,  polished 
celts,  arrow-heads,  spear-heads,  stone  gorgets,  bone  implements, 
clay  vessels  and  copper  hawk  bells.  The  hawk  bells  were  with 
the  skeleton  of  a  child,  at  a  depth  of  three  feet  and  a  half.  They 
were  in  the  form  of  sleigh  bells,  but  with  pebbles  and  shell 
beads  for  rattles.  In  another  mound  on  the  Little  Tennessee, 
two  miles  from  Morgantown,  were  found  nine  skeletons,  and 
with  one  were  two  copper  bracelets,  copper  beads,  a  small  drilled 
stone,  an  engraved  stone  which  had  some  ot  the  characters  of 
the  Cherokee  alphabet  on  it.  The  argument  which  Dr.  Thomas 
makes  in  connection  with  these  finds  is  that  the  mound-builders 
were  Indians,  and  the  particular  tribe  who  built  these  mounds 
were  Cherokees.  The  argument  is,  however,  misleading.  It 
may  be  forcible  as  proving  the  migration  and  the  modern  char 
acter  of  the  Cherokees,  but  it  begs  the  question  as  to  the  other 
tribes  of  mound-builders.  The  tribes  which  were  formerly  lo- 


129 

cated  along  the  Atlantic  coast  and  on  the  Alleghany  mountains 
have  never  been  recognized  as  belonging  to  the  Mound-builders. 
Many  of  these  works  are  to  be  connected  with  the  historic 
Indians,  such  as  the  Powhattans  of  the  Algonkin  stock  and  the 
Tuscaroras  of  the  Iroquois  stock.  The  value  of  the  finds  con 
sists  in  the  fact  that  the  record  of  the  Cherokees  is  carried  back 
into  prehistoric  times  and  the  record  of  mound-building  brought 
up  to  modern  times;  but  to  make  the  Cherokees  the  mound- 
builders  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  is  absurd.  The  Cherokees 
may  have  passed  over  a  portion  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory, 
precisely  as  the  Dakotas  are  supposed  to  have  done  at  an  early 
time  and  as  we  know  other  tribes — such  as  the  Shawnees,  Dela- 
wares,  Iroquois  and  Wyandottes — did  after  the  time  of  the 
discovery;  but  the  probability  is  that  their  route  was  over  the 
eastern  part  and  not  the  western. 

That  there  was  a  succession  of  races  is  seen  from  the  study 
of  the  burial  mounds.  Fig.  1 1  illustrates  this.  In  this  mound 
we  find  at  the  bottom  a  circular  vault  three  feet  deep  and  6  feet 
in  diameter,  filled  with  chocolate  dust,  No.  I.  Next  to  this  was 
a  layer,  marked  2,  containing  the  bones  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
persons.  Above  them  a  layer  of  burned  clay.  Above  this,  in 
No.  4,  was  a  mass  of  calcined  bones,  mingled  with  ashes  and  a 
reddish  brown  mortar  burned  as  hard  as  brick. 

The  bee-hive  vault  has  been  dwelt  upon  as  proof,  but  the  bee 
hive  vault  resembles  the  bee-hive  huts,  which  are  common  in 
Scotland,  as  much  as  it  does  any  structure  found  in  Southern 
Ohio.  Shall  we  say  that  these  bee-hive  vaults  prove  the  Chero 
kees  to  have  come  from  Scotland  ?  The  Cherokees  are  said  to 
have  been  very  white,  and  might  almost  be  called  white  Indians. 
Shall  we  trace  the  Cherokees  back  to  a  white  race,  which,  accord 
ing  to  some,  was  allied  to  the  Aryan?  Their  language  is  said 
to  be  related  to  the  Dakotas.  The  earliest  known  migrations 
of  the  Dakotas  were  from  the  east.  Shall  we,  then,  trace  both 
the  Dakotas  and  Cherokees  back  to  the  island  of  Great  Britain, 
making  the  route  of  their  migration  to  be  by  way  of  Iceland  and 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  take  the  coincidence  between  the  bee 
hive  huts  and  bee-hive  vaults  and  make  out  a  case  in  that  way? 

The  effigy  mounds  of  Southern  Ohio,  especially  the  great 
serpent,  the  bird  mounds  of  Northern  Georgia,  the  effigies  of 
Wisconsin  and  the  stone  effigies  of  Dakota  are  assigned  by 
some  to  the  different  branches  of  the  Dakotas — the  Tuteloes 
having  once  been  located  in  Northern  Georgia,  not  far  from 
where  the  bird  effigy  is;  other  tribes — such  as  the  lowas  and 
Mandans — having,  according  to  tradition,  carried  these  symbols 
to  Dakota ;  the  Winnebagos,  another  branch,  had  their  last 
abode  in  Wisconsin,  where  the  effigies  are  so  numerous. 

Our  argument  is  for  the  migration  of  the  Dakotas  as  preceding 
that  of  the  Cherokees.  According  to  Thomas  there  are,  in  the 


130 

mounds  of  the  Kenawha  Valley,  several  different  kinds  of  burials, 
some  of  them  resembling  those  found  among  the  Cherokees; 
but  the  trouble  is  that  these  have  all  been  mingled  together 
as  if  they  all  belonged  to  one  tribe,  whereas  they  prove  that 
several  tribes  passed  through  this  region.  Let  us  enumerate  the 
different  forms  of  burial  mounds  which  Dr.  Thomas  has  assigned 
to  this  tribe,  i.  We  find  the  bee-hive  tombs  in  North  Caro 
lina.  These  were  found  in  a  circular  pit.  2.  The  triangle  con 
taining  graves  and  modern  relics.  3.  The  mounds  with  burials 
between  bark  coverings  in  East  Tennessee.  4.  The  square 
chambered  tombs  in  the  Grave  Creek  mound,  in  the  Kenawha 
mound,  and  those  on  the  Scioto.  5.  The  round  chambers, 
lined  with  upright  posts,  contained  within  the  pyramid  mound 
on  the  flood  plain  in  the  valley  of  the  Scioto.  6.  The  altar 
found  at  the  bottom  of  one  of  the  mounds  in  the  Kenawha 


Fig.  11.— Stratified  Mound  in  Wisconsin. 

Valley  (see  Fig.  9),  resembling  those  found  in  Ohio.  7.  Altars 
made  from  cubical  piles  of  stones,  found  in  Eastern  Iowa,  re 
sembling  those  found  in  Tennessee.  8.  The  altar  beds  in  Cal- 
houn  County,  Illinois,  resembling  others  in  Tennessee.  9.  The 
square  piles  of  stones  in  Franklin  County,  Indiana,  resembling 
those  found  in  Tennessee.  Besides  these  there  were  the  stone 
graves  found  in  the  Kenawha  Valley,  those  in  Illinois,  and  those 
found  in  the  bottom  of  the  pyramid  mound  at  Etowah,  Georgia, 
the  stratified  mounds  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Davenport, 
the  chambered  tomb  found  in  Wisconsin,  the  stone  vaults  found 
on  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  Rivers. 

The  important  point  we  make  is  this:  The  burials  referred 
to  above  are  so  varied  that  it  is  absurd  to  ascribe  them  to  any 
one  Indian 'tribe,  either  Cherokee,  Shawnee  or  Dakota.*  True 
the  analysis  and  comparison  might  enable  us  to  assign  those 
northwest  to  one  general  class;  those  on  the  Missouri  River  to 
another;  those  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  to  a  third;  those  on  the 
Middle  Mississippi  to  a  fourth;  those  on  the  Southern  Missis 
sippi  to  a  fifth  ;  those  on  the  Cumberland  to  a  sixth ;  those  on 


*The  reader  will  find  a  description  of  the  different  burials  in  the  chapter  on  burial 
mounds.    See  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  XI,  No.  6. 


131 

the  Upper  Ohio  to  a  seventh;  and  those  on  the  Wateree  River 
and  in  East  Tennessee  to  the  eighth  class.  This  is,  however, 
only  repeating  what  has  been  said  before  the  Mound-builders 
were  divided  into  several  distinct  classes,  and  differed  according 
to  location, — each  tribe  having  its  own  peculiar  earth-works  and 
burial  mounds  and  relics.  So  far  as  the  classes  and  districts  are 
concerned,  there  is  no  great  difficulty  in  tracing  the  tribes  which 
occupied  these  subsequent  to  the  time  of  history,  back  to  the 
Mound-building  period  and  in  identifying  them  in  some  of  the 
burials  which  have  been  preserved;  but  to  say  that  these  his 
toric  tribes  were  the  builders  of  all  the  mounds  in  the  district  is 
going  contrary  to  the  facts,  for  there  is  too  much  variety  in  the 
mounds  of  each  district  to  admit  of  this. 

We  are  ready  to  acknowledge  the  resemblance  between  these 
circles  in  the  Kenawha  Valley  and  those  on  the  Wateree  River 
in  South  Carolina,  and  especially  the  similar  significance  of  the 
circle  with  the  mound  in  its  center,  which  seems  always  to  be  a 
sign  of  sun-worship.  Squier  and  Davis  have  called  attention 
to  the  general  similarity  between  the  southern  mounds  and  the 
Ohio  mounds,  especially  to  the  fact  that  there  were  spiral  paths 
around  the  outside  of  them.  They  speak  of  the  council  or 
oblong  mound  in  the  circle  on  the  Wateree  River,  with  a  cir 
cumference  of  550  feet  at  the  base  and  225  feet  at  the  top,  and 
30  feet  high.  They  say,  however,  that  while  this  region  was 
occupied  by  the  Cherokees  at  one  time  and  by  the  Ocmulgees 
at  another,  still  that  the  country  was,  many  ages  preceding  the 
Cherokees,  inhabited  by  one  nation,  who  were  ruled  by  the  same 
system  of  laws,  customs  and  language,  but  so  ancient  that  the 
Cherokees  or  the  Creeks  could  give  no  account  of  them  or  the 
purposes  for  which  they  erected  the  monuments.  High  pyram 
idal  mounds,  with  spacious  avenues  leading  to  artificial  lakes,  and 
cubical  yards,  with  sunken  areas  and  rotundas,  are  the  charac 
teristic  works  of  the  south — works  which  the  Cherokees  adopted 
and  used,  but  which,  it  is  said,  they  did  not  build.  The  contrast 
between  the  two  classes  is  marked,  as  the  water  cultus  is  plain 
in  one  and  sun-worship  in  the  other,  and  yet  the  connecting  link 
may  be  found  in  the  circles  we  are  describing. 

This  thing  we  can  rely  upon,  however:  The  mounds,  earth- 
worths  and  relics  are  so  arranged  in  districts,  and  so  correlated 
to  those  districts,  that  we  may  safely  give  names  to  the  people 
of  the  district;  but  they  must  be  names  which  are  taken  from 
the  ancient  works,  rather  than  from  the  modern  tribes.  This  is 
the  case  even  when  we  think  that  we  have  traced  the  migration 
of  the  ancient  races,  for,  after  all  that  we  may  do,  it  is  still  an 
open  question  whether  the  ancient  races- and  the  modern  works 
can  be  fully  identified. 

Modern  races  followed  the  ancient  in  all  the  districts ;  but  the 
ancient  relics  were  transmitted,  and  modern  relics  intruded  in 


132 

such  strange,  unaccountable  ways  and  out-of-the-way  places,  as 
to  make  us  pause  before  we  give  a  certainty  to  our  speculations 
in  regard  to  this  subject  The  monitor  pipes,  the  duck  pipes, 
the  shell  gorgets,  the  inscribed  shells,  the  copper  relics,  the  gold 
ornaments,  and  various  other  relics,  may  be  scattered  through 
the  mounds  of  each  separate  district,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
found  in  the  hands  of  the  later  Indians  occupying  these  districts ; 
but  the  traditions,  the  relics  and  the  earth-works  in  these  same 
districts,  often  compel  us  to  go  back  of  these  people  and  to  assign 
a  long  succession  of  tribes  to  the  district,  so  that  we  may  say  it 
is  actually  easier  for  us  to  trace  the  migrations  of  the  Mound- 
builders  from  one  district  to  another  than  it  is  to  trace  the  history 
of  the  district,  back  through  its  different  periods  of  occupation. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  evidence.  The  migrations  of  the 
pyramid-builders,  like  that  of  the  stone  grave  people,  may  have 
been  across  the  Ohio  Valley  at  the  west  end.  The  migra 
tion  of  the  circle-builders,  sun-worshipers,  may  have  been  north 
or  south,  across  the  Ohio  Valley  at  the  east  end;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  the  serpent-worshipers,  whose  works  are  found  on  the 
Ohio  River  and  on  the  Mississippi  River,  must  have  migrated 
through  the  whole  middle  district,  th£  Ohio  River  being  the 
thoroughfare.  It  does  not  seem  reasonable  that  they  were  the 
same  people  who  built  the  bee-hive  vaults  or  even  the  chambered 
tombs,  for  not  one  such  one  structure  is  found  in  all  their  west 
ern  track, 

Our  conclusion  is  that  there  were  various  migrations  of  mound 
builders  through  and  across  the  Ohio  Valley,  some  of  them 
having  been  sun-worshipers,  some  of  them  serpent-worshipers 
and  some  pyramid-builders.  If  any  of  these  are  to  be  identified 
with  the  Cherokees,  others  with  as  much  reason  may  also  be 
identified  with  the  Dakotas,  the  testimony  of  tradition  and  of 
language,  as  well  as  of  archaeolgy,  corresponding  on  this  point; 
but  this  by  no  means  precludes  us  from  believing  that  there  were 
other  races  or  tribes  of  Mound-builders  which  preceded  these, 
the  history  and  names  of  which  have  not  yet  been  discovered, 
and  so  they  can  not  be  identified  with  any  modern  tribe. 


133 


CHAPTER  IX. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS' 
CULTUS. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  things  in  connection  with  prehis 
toric  times  is  that  village  life  was  so  prevalent.  This  seems  to 
have  been  common  in  all  ages  and  among  all  races,  but  it  was 
especially  prominent  among  the  Mound-builders.  It  was  in  fact 
the  element  into  which  they  threw  their  own  peculiarities  and 
which  embodied  their  cultus.  The  Mound-builders'  villages 
were  not  all  alike,  for  every  district  had  a  style  of  village  pecular 
to  itself,  and  yet  they  differed  from  those  of  other  races,  and  are 
therefore  worthy  of  our  study.  This  is  the  factor  which  may 
enable  us  to  draw  the  line  between  the  different  periods  of  occu 
pation,  and  help  us  solve  the  Mound-builder  problem. 

The  picture  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory  which  we  have 
presented  is  one  in  which  different  classes  or  tribes  occupied 
different  districts,  filling  each  district  with  their  own  peculiar 
cultus.  The  picture  is  a  varied  one,  for  the  tribes  or  classes 
followed  different  employments,  used  different  implements  and 
showed  different  grades  of  advancement.  The  conditions  of  society 
were  correlated  to  physical  surroundings.  There  seems  to  have 
been,  also,  changes  among  the  people  at  various  times;  migra 
tions  from  one  district  into  another,  the  abandonment  of  earth 
works  of  one  class,  and  the  erecting  of  a  similar  class  of 
earth-works  in  another  region,  the  routes  of  migration  being 
marked  by  the  tribes,  either  in  entering  their  territory  or  in 
departing  from  it. 

The  location  of  the  modern  tribes  of  Indians,  with  their  pecu 
liar  habits  and  customs,  has  also  come  into  the  picture  and  been 
a  prominent  feature  in  the  scene.  The  panorama  has  been  a 
moving  one;  in  fact,  the  changes  have  been  so  numerous  that  it 
has  been  difficult  to  distinguish  the  earlier  from  the  later  tribes, 
and  much  confusion  has  been  the  result.  It  is  probably  on  this 
account  that  many  have  confounded  the  Mound-builders  with  the 
Indians  and  classed  both  together,  not  realizing  that  the  Mound- 
builders'  cultus  was  so  distinct. 

I.  The  character  of  the  villages  is  the  test  by  which  we  deter 
mine  the  cultus  which  prevailed  in  a  certain  period  of  time 


& 


134 

in  particular  localities,  and  is  the  especial  means  by  which  we 
ascertain  the  Mound-builders' cultus.  We  speak  of  the  Mound- 
builders'  cultus  because  it  was  distinctive,  in  fact,  as  distinctive  as 
the  cliff-dwellers  or  the  lake-dwellers,  or  the  Aztec  or  Maya  cul 
tus,  and  because  it  furnishes  us  a  definite  name  for  a  specific  period 
of  time  and  helps  us  to  separate  that  time  from  that  which  pre- 
eceded,  and  that  which  followed;  but  the  cultus  was  embodied 
in  the  village  life  as  much  as  in  any  other  element,  and  we  shall, 
therefore,  point  to  this  as  the  factor  which  will  enable  us  to  dis 
tinguish  the  cultus.  Village  life  may,  indeed,  have  prevailed 
among  the  Indian  tribes,  as  it  prevailed  among  all  of  the  unciv 
ilized  races,  both  in  this  continent  and  in  every  other  one.  Mr. 
Stanley  informs  us  that  villages  were  very  common  in  Central 
Africa,  that  all  the  trails  led  through  villages ;  travelers  have 
spoken  of  the  villages  of  South  America  and  have  pictured  the 
roadways  which  led  from  one  city  or  ancient  village  to  another. 

The  early  and  later  explorers  maintain 
that  there  were  roadways  in  Central 
America,  Yucutan  and  in  Honduras, 
which  led  from  the  ancient  cities  to 
the  sea  coast,  and  from  the  sea  coast 
to  islands.  We  do  not  maintain  that 
village  life  was  peculiar  to  the  Mound- 
builders — as  it  was  everywhere  preva 
lent,  and  was  as  common  among  the 
later  as  the  earlier  races — but  its  fea- 

m.  l.-VWase  v,m  Water  Supply.  tUr«  Wer<;  distinctive 

The  features  which  distinguish  the 

villages  of  the  Mound-builders  are  as  follows:  i.  The  presence 
of  earth -works,  which  in  one  way  or  another  form  an  enclosure, 
either  as  walls,  as  pyramids,  as  circles,  burial  mounds  or  effigies. 
They  may  have  been  used  as  burial  places,  as  lookouts,  as  altars, 
game  drives,  places  of  assembly,  but  all  of  them  were  connected 
with  the  villages.  2.  The  abundance  of  relics  in  the  mounds,  de 
posited  as  offerings,  or  personal  belongings,  gives  evidence  of  a 
numerous  population,  which  had  its  center  in  the  village.  3.  The 
earliest  villages  were  those  of  the  Mound-builders,  and  can  be 
distinguished  from  the  villages  of  the  later  Indian  races  by  their 
age.  The  burial  mounds  show  a  succession  of  races,  but  the 
burials  which  are  the  earliest,  or  lowest  down,  may  be  taken  as 
those  of  the  Mound-builders*.  4.  The  villages  of  the  Mound- 
builders  were  generally  located  upon  the  high  land  and  were 
attended  with  lookout  mounds,  trails  or  roadways,  and  other 
signs  which  indicate  that  they  were  connected  with  one  another, 
showing  that  the  occupants  were  the  permanent  possessors  of 

*See  Chap.  I,  p.  30;  Chap.  IV,  p.  53-58:  Chap.  V,  Burial  Mounds,  p.  G5-74;  Chap. 


135 

the  entire  region.*  5.  The  evidence  of  an  organized  condition  of 
society  is  given  by  the  villages  of  Mound-builders;  the  villages 
were  occupied  by  clans,  the  clans  were  arranged  in  tribes,  tribes 
were  gathered  into  confederacies. 

The  grade  of  advancement  in  the  earth-works  and  relics  dis 
tinguished  the  Mound-builders'  villages  from  those  which  either 
preceded  or  followed,and  furnishes  a  good  test  as  to  the  Moun  1- 
builders'  cult. 

I.  Let  us  take  up  first  the  study  of  the  earth-works.  Many 
of  these  were  located  on  ground  where  modern  cities  have  grown 
up,  but  there  was  a  time  when  they  were  the  most  marked 
objects  in  the  landscape,  and  the  record  of  them  is  more  com 
plete  than  that  of  the  temporary  Indian  villages  which  have 
been  gathered  in  the  same  spot.  The  center  of  population  was 
in  the  village  throughout  all  ages,  but  in  the  Mound-builders' 
age  the  villages  were  more  extensive  than  at  any  other  time  and 
were  perhaps  as  imposing  in  ap 
pearance  as  many  of  the  villages 
built  by  the  white  man,  and  were 
especially  in  contrast  with  those  of 
the  Indians. 

Indian  villages  were  often  erect 
ed  in  the  midst  of  Mound-builders' 
enclosures;  Indian  graves  intruded 
into  the  tumuli  of  Mound-builders, 
and  Indian  relics  are  found  mingled 
with  Mound-builders'  relics.  But  if™ 

.  Fig.Z—  Village  ivith  Sacrificial  Mounds 

an  extensive  earthwork,  with  heavy 

wall  and  great  gateways  can  be  distinguished  from  an  ordinary 
camping  place ;  if  the  deposits  of  beautifully  carved  relics,  such 
as  pipes,  highly  wrought  copper  specimens,  and  pearl  beads  can 
be  distinguished  from  the  rude  camp  kettles,  the  occasional  brass 
and  silver  brooch,  the  fragments  of  cloth  and  the  debris  of  the 
camp,  the  permanent  abode  or  house  can  be  distinguished  from 
a  rude  wigwam,  the  Mound-builders'  cultus  can  be  separated 
from  the  Indian,  even  when  the  villages  were  in  the  same  locality. 
Any  one  who  reads  the  descriptions  of  Indian  wars,  especially 

*  See  Chap.  II,  p.  17-18;  Chap.  VI,  p.  89,  American  Geologist,  article  by  S.  D.  Peet, 
on  The  Flood  Plain,  p.  264. 

f  The  cuts  given  in  Figs.  1  and  2  are  taken  from  Atwater's  book,  which  was  the 
first  one  published  upon  the  Mound-builders.  They  represent  the  two  villages  form 
erly  situated  on  Paint  Creek,  five  miles  apart,  with  a  fort  between  them,  located  at 
Bouroeville.  The  same  villages  can  be  seen  in  the  map.  These  villages  were  some 
what  remarkable.  The  one  at  A  had  an  enclosore  which  contained  77  acres,  in  the 
center  of  which  was  an  elliptical  mound,  240x160  feet,  and  SO  feet  high,  surrounded 
by  a  low  embankment  and  covered  with  a  pavement  of  pebbles.  There  was  a  cres 
cent  near  this  mound,  set  around  the  edges  with  stone,  and  a  number  of  wells  were 
inside  and  outside  the  enclosure.  The  circle  contains  17  acres;  within  it  was  a 
smaller  circle,  which  probably  marked  the  site  of  the  estufa.  Here  we  have  pro 
visions  for  religious  ceremonies  as  well  as  residence  and  defense.  The  other  village 
(B)  contained  no  elliptical  mounds,  but  there  was  within  it  a  pond  15  feet  deep  and 
39  feet  across,  which  is  fed  by  a  rivulet  flowing  from  the  high  land  through  the  walls 
and  furnished  the  village  with  water  supply. 


136 


those  conducted  by  Gen.  St.  Clair,  Anthony  Wayne,  Gen.  George 
Washington,  Gen.  Braddock,  can  realize  that  the  villages  which 
were  so  easily  destroyed  by  the  invading  whites,  and  which  were 
frequently  transported  by  command  of  the  Indian  chiefs,  were 
but  temporary  camps,  and  in  great  contrast  to  the  Mound-build 
ers'  villages.  The  battlefields  have  been  located,  but  not  one  of 
them  is  marked  by  any  earthworks,  such  as  the  ancient  races 
were  accustomed  to  erect.  The  vijlages  which  were  attacked 

were  clusters  of  tempor 
ary  wigwams,  some  of 
them  without  even  the 
protection  of  a  palisade. 
They  were  so  easily  de 
stroyed  that  a  single  fire 
would  sweep  them  from 
off  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and,  in  a  few  years,  not 
a  trace  of  them  was  left. 
Even  in  the  localities 
where,  according  to  the 
early  maps,  Indian  vil 
lages  once  stood,  the 
explorer  will  seek  in 
vain  for  any  vestige  by 
which  he  can  identify 
the  site.  If  he  takes  the 
names  of  distinguished 
chiefs,  such  as  King  Phil 
lip,  Pontiac,  Tecumseh 
and  Black  Hawk,  and 
seeks  for  their  homes  he 
will  find  no  sign  of  them. 
The  villages  of  Black 
Hawk  and  Keokuk  were 
situated  on  the  DesMoines  River,  near  Eldon,  but  not  a  sign 
of  them  remains;  even  the  graves  of  these  Indian  warriors  have 
been  despoiled  and  their  bones  destroyed. 

There  was  formerly  an  Indian  village  on  the  Ohio,  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Scioto.  It  was,  however,  located  on  the  banks, 
below  the  terrace  on  which  were  the  villages  of  the  ancient 
Mound-builders.  The  contrast  between  the  two  villages — the 
ancient  and  the  modern — can  be  seen  here.  Here  we  see 


-st',<-lc(t<l<<  nildfjc  near  Granville,  Ohio.* 


*  The  stockades  represented  in  Figs.  3  and  4  are  such  as  are  very  common  in  Ohio 
and  Kentucky  and  many  of  the  western  States.  They  are  not  known  to  have  been 
built  by  any  Indian  tribe,  but  may  have  marked  the  intervening  period  between 
the  Mound-builders'  age  and  that  of  the  modern  Indian.  They  show  the  difference 
between  the  cult  of  the  early  Mound-builders  and  that  of  the  later  race.  One  of 
these  was  situated  near  Granville,  and  in  sight  of  the  alligator  or  opossum  mound, 
about  five  miles  from  the  works  at  Newark.  It  has  an  area  of  18  acres.  The  ditch  is 
outside  of  the  wall.  Inside  the  wall  is  a  small  circle,  100  feet  in  diameter.  In  the 
circle  are  two  mounds,  both  of  which  contain  altars. 


137 


heavy  walls  en  the  high  terrace,  fifty  feet  above  the  bank  where 
the  modern  village  was  located,  the  oval  enclosure  isolated  on  a 
spur,  and  the  covered  ways  extending  for  eight  miles  or  more, 
with  the  bastions,  gateways,  circles,  and  burial  mounds  all  con 
nected  by  a  ferry  with  the  walls,  circles,  mounds,  on  the  summit 
of  the  hill  opposite,  and  these  again  by  another  ferry  with  the 
walls,  concentric  circles  and  temple  mounds,  several  miles  away, 
the  length  of  the  walls  being  twenty-two  miles.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Indian  village  is  so  insignificant  that  a  single  flood  over 
flowed  its  site  and  swept  away  all  vestige  of  the  encampment, 
taking  the  houses  of  the  few  white  settlers,  which  had  been  built 
upon  the  same  spot,  so  that  now  nothing  is  left  to  reveal  either  of 
the  later  periods  of  occupation.*  All  signs  of  the  Indian  village 
and  early  settlement  of  the  white  man  have  disappeared,  but  the 
works  of  the  Mound-builders  remain,  notwithstanding  the  growth 
of  a  modern  city  on  the  spot. 

2.  It  has  been  maintained  by  some  that  the  stockade  was  pecu 
liar  to  the  northern 
Indian,  the  earthwork 
to  the  southernjlndian 
and  that  this  consti 
tuted  the  only  differ 
ence  between  the  vil 
lages,  but  the  fact  is 
the  stockade  was  as 
common  at  the  south 
as  at  the  north,  and 
in  both  sections  there 
are  earthworks  which 
were  built  by  an  ear 
lier  race.  Beauchamp 
has  shown  this  to  be 
the  case  in  the  state  of 
New  York.  He  main 
tains  that  there  was  a 

period  of  time  when  villages  were  surrounded  by  earth-works, 
but  at  a  subsequent  period  the  timbered  palisade  took  their 
place.f  The  stockades  of  the  Iroquois  tribes  were  more  endur 
ing  than  the  temporary  villages  of  the  Algonkins,  but  these  have 
so  far  disappeared  that  it  is  difficult  to  locate  their  villages.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  villages  of  the  Mound-builders,  who  preceded 
the  Iroquois,  are  identified  by  earth-works  which  still  remain. 
Sir  William  Dawson  has  also  shown  that  the  villages  of  the 
earlier  races  were  attended  with  a  class  of  relics  which  indicated 
a  cultus  peculiar  to  the  age  and  the  people.! 

The  antiquity  of  the  first  race  can  be  judged  from  the  fact  that  a 


Fig.  U  —  Stockade  Village  in  Ohio. 


*  See  map,  p.  253.        t  See  Amer.  Antiquarian.       ^See  Fossil  Man. 


138 


nest  of  copper  relics,  consisting  of  socketed  spears  and  spades 
of  the  Wisconsin  stamp,  was  found  while  digging  the  St.  Law 
rence  canal,  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  some  fifteen 
feet  below  the  surface.  The  antiquity  of  the  Mound-builders' 
village  in  the  State  of  Ohio  can  also  be  seen  from  the  earth 
works.  The  village  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  covered  several  miles 
of  a  level  plain,  but  so  long  ago  that  the  sweep  of  the  waters  of 
the  Great  Miami  River  in  the  time  of  flood  has  taken  away  a 
larger  portion  of  the  walls  and  yet  that  which  remains  extends 
beyond  the  modern  village  of  Alexandersville,  and  takes  in  two 
stations  on  the  railroad.* 

3.  Village  life  impressed  itself  upon  the  soil  everywhere.  Even 
in  the  region  where  the  hunter  life  was  prevalent,  this  is  every 
where  apparent.  Here 
the  villages  were  sur 
rounded  either  by  cir 
cles  of  burial  mounds 
or  by  animal  effigies, 
or  rude  earth-works,f 
but  there  are  also 
lookout  mounds,  and 
game  drives,  garden 
beds,  and  occasionally 
altar  mounds,  which 
indicate  that  certain 
clans  occupied  the  lo 
cality.  Game  drives 


Fig.  5  —Stockade  Village  in  Ohio. 


are  not  confined  to  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  but  are  found  in  Illinois 
and  other  states,  showing  that  while  the  Mound-builders  of  this 
region  were  hunters,  they  dwelt  in  villages. 

It  remained,  however,  for  the  agricultural  races  to  build  the 
most  elaborate  earth-works,  as  a  defense  to  their  villages.  These 
were  placed  uniformly  upon  terraces  overlooking  the  rivers,  and 
abounded  with  covered  ways,  graded  ways,  lookout  mounds, 
dance  circles,  burial  places,  all  of  which  were  guarded  by  earth- 
wall  s.J 

Walled  villages  were  numerous  in  the  middle  district,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Ohio  River,  but  they  did  not  all  belong  to  the  same 
class.  In  fact,  four  or  five  types  of  Mound-builders'  villages  have 
been  discovered  in  this  region,  all  of  which  may  have  been  pre 
historic.  These  were  followed  by  the  rude  villages  of  the  modern 
Indian  races.  The  effort  has  been  made  to  identify  these  modern 
Indians§  as  the  descendants  of  the  earlier  Mound-builders,  but 


*See  Antiquities  of  Tenn.,  by  Gen.  G.  P.  Thuraton,  p.  40.  Jones'  Aboriginal  Re 
mains,  p.  115.  See  map  of  works  at  Alexandersville. 

tSee  William  I  );t  wson's  Description  of  Hochelaga,  p.  40;  Hubbard's  Memorial 
Sketches  of  a  Half  Century,  p  232;  Foot's  Kmblematio  Mounds,  p.  20S  ;  Smithsonian 
Report,  Description  ot  Earth  Walls  on  the  Spoon  River  and  Fox  Kiver,  Illinois. 

JSee  Hurtram's  Travels. 

An-iquitlos  of  Southern  Indians,  by  C.  C.  Jones. 


139 

the  very  contrast  between  the  two  classes  of  villages,  the  earlier 
and  later,  refutes  this.  The  Mound-builders  may  have  changed 
their  location,  and  the  occupants  of  the  villages  of  one  district  have 
established  their  villages  in  another  district,  but  if  this  was  the 
case,  those  who  migrated  must  have  adopted  another  style  of 
village  architecture  and  manufactured  a  different  class  of  relics, 
having  dropped  those  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed,  for 
there  are  no  two  districts  in  which  the  same  works  or  relics  can 
be  discovered,  Relics,  to  be  sure,  are  found  in  Iowa  and  Illinois 
which  resemble  those  in  Ohio,  but  there  are  no  such  earth-works. 
A  few  works  are  found  in  West  Virginia  and  Kentucky  which 


Fig.  6. — Sacred  Enclosure  in  Kentucky  * 

resemble  the  Ohio  villages,  but  the  relics  are  quite  different.  It 
appears  that  there  was  a  period  in  which  every  district  exhibited 
a  Mound-builder's  cultus,  another  period  in  which  it  disappeared 
or  was  lost, 

4.  The  loss  of  this  cultus  is  one  ofthe  plainest  facts  in  archaeology. 
We  pass  over  the  districts  and  study  the  works  and  relics  which 
we  ascribe  to  the  earlier  Mound-builders,  but  we  find  the  people 
gone,  and  we  fail  to  recognize  or  identify  their  cultus  in  any  one  of 
the  modern  tribes  of 'Indians.  In  fact,  the  change  of  cultus  has 
been  so  great  in  every  district  that  we  fail  to  reach  any  certainty 
in  reference  to  the  time  of  occupation  or  the  people  who  built 
the  villages.  When  we  interrogate  the  Indians  of  any  tribe, 
Iroquois,  Algonkin,  Dakota,  Cherokee,  Shawnee,  we  find  their 
memory  uncertain  and  their  traditions  indefinite.f 

*  The  works  at  Mt.  Sterling  consist  of  an  enclosure  100  feet  square,  an  elliptical 
mound,  9  feei.  high,  truncated  and  connected  by  a  wall  with  a  small  conical  mound, 
a  circle  with  a  ditch  and  square  platform,  and  a  hexagonal  enclosure  with  a  gateway 
to  the  east.  These  works  exhibit  an  identity  with  those  in  Ohio  and  were  probably 
symbolic  or  religious  in  their  character.  The  proximity  to  the  streams  suggests  a 
water  cult.  See  Fig.  6. 

tSee  Irving's  Florida ;  for  Study  of  Skulls  see  report  of  Davenport  Academy  or 
Science,  Lucian  M.  Carr's  Antiquities  of  Tenn.,  p.  117;  Agricultural  Races,  Jones 
Southern  Indians,  Eleventh  report  Peabody  Museum,  p.  384. 


HO 


aUMlAFI  WOHKS 
XOSfCflVHTt  OHIO. 


The  Shawnees  have  indeed  been  traced  from  one  locality  to 
another,  for  they  were  great  wanderers,  but  the  relics  which  have 
been  lound  in  the  stone  graves  which  are  said  to  mark  their 
route,  are  as  different  in  different  localities  as  if  they  were  man 
ufactured  by  entirely  distinct  races.  The  abandonment  of  their 
homes  by  these  wandering  tribes  must  have  occurred  long  years 
ago,  for  otherwise  we  could  not  account  for  the  change  which 
has  come  upon  them  in  their  cultus  and  art  motives.  So  with 

the  Cherokees,  and  the 
Muscogeesand  other  tribes. 
Adair  and  Bartram  tell  us 
the  Cherokees  had  a  tradi 
tion  that  the  pyramids  at 
the  south  were  built  by  a 
preceding  race;  that  they 
only  occupied  them  as  new 
comers  after  vanquishing 
the  nations  who  inhabited 
them,  and  that  the  former 
possessors  told  the  same 
story  concerningthem;  that 
they  found  the  mounds 
when  they  took  possession 
of  the  country.  Mr.  Jones 
says  that  "the  works  were 
subject  to  secondary  uses. 
Temple  mounds,  originally 
designed  for  religious  ob 
jects,  were  by  the  Creeks 
and  Cherokees  converted 
into  stockade  forts  and  used 
as  residences  for  their  chiefs 


Mound-builders1  Village  and  Covered  Way. 


or  for  purposes  of  sepul  • 
ture."  The  tradition  is 
that  the  incursion  of  wild  tribes  from  the  North  drove  off  the 
Mound-builders  from  the  middle  districts,  some  of  which  intruded 
themselves  upon  the  southern  districts,  and  at  a  still  earlier  date 
these  southern  tribes  supplanted  a  race  of  pyramid-builders. 
These  traditions  are  confirmed  by  the  study  of  the  relics  and 
works,  all  of  which  indicate  that  many  changes  took  place  in 
pre-Columbian  times,  the  transposition  of  new  populations  hav 
ing  brought  in  a  new  cultus,  with  intervals  of  varying  length, 
but  the  village  life  having  continued  through  all  the  changes. 


*  The  enclosure  called  Dunlap's  Works  is  situated  on  the  third  terrace  above  the 
Sciotn.  There  is  a  covered  way  1240  feet  long,  with  a  lookout  mound  at  the  end 
which  commands  a  view  of  the  river  valley,  and  a  terraced  mound  or  mound  and 
circle  not  far  from  the  covered  way.  On  the  fourth  terrace  is  an  outwork  which  may 
have  served  as  a  race-course  or  a  place  of  games.  There  was  a  gateway  and  a  graded 
path  connecting  it  with  the  enclosure.  Tne  small  circle  is  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
but  there  is  no  large  circle  connected  with  the  works. 


141 


5.  We  do  not  then  misinterpret  the  evidence  given  by  the  earth 
works,  when  we  say  that  the  confederacies  of  the  Mound-builders, 
whether  situated  along  the  upper,  middle  or  lower  Mississippi, 
the  Cumberland,  St.  Francis,  or  Ohio  River,  or  in  Florida  or  the 
Gulf  States,  must  have  long  preceded  that  of  the  Indians,*  and 
that  the  history  of  these  villages  was  quite  different  from  that  of 
the  modern  tribes.  We  go  back  to  the  time  of  the  first  dis 
covery  and  examine  the  picture  of  the  villages  presented  by  the 
historians  of  Ferdinand  De  Soto's  expedition,  and  find  that  they 
were  thoroughly  equipped  with  the  machinery  of  government 
and  religion,  and  are  to  be,  by  this  means,  distinguished  from 
the  villages  of  the  Atlantic  coast  and  the  New  England  States, 


Section . 


Stockade  fort  in  Tennessee. 


Stockade  Fort  in  O/uo.t 


where  the  stockade  villages  were  prevalent,  but  the  changes 
which  came  upon  the  Mound-building  tribes,  both  North  and 
South,  broke  up  the  early  confederacies  and  in  a  measure  obliter 
ated  the  Mound-builders'  cultus,  so  that  we  can,  with  no  degree 
of  propriety,  use  the  term  Indian  when  we  would  describe  this 
earlier  condition,  even  if  we  were  convinced  that  the  Mound- 
builders  and  the  Indian  were  of  the  same  stock. 

On  this  point  there  is  great  uncertainty,  for  the  best  authori 
ties  maintain  that  there  were  from  two  to  four  races  in  the 
Mound  builders'  territory.  The  pyramids  at  the  South  were 


*  Antiquities  of  Southern  Indians,  p.  126,  by  C.  C.  Jones. 

t  The  stone  fort  in  Tennessee  and  the  earth  fort  in  Ohio  (see  cuts  above)  illustrate 
the  cultus  of  two  periods.  The  stone  fort  was  upon  an  eminence.  It  contained  tw  • 
pyramids.  One  of  these  was  occupied  by  two  lookouts,  twenty  feet  high.  This  fort 
Is  on  the  bank  of  Duck  Creek,  just  above  a  waterfall,  and  is  full  of  the  evidence  of  a 
skillful  work  and  of  an  advanced  people.  The  earth-work  marks  the  site  of  an  or 
dinary  stockade  village,  located  on  the  bluff,  with  the  unfailing  spring  below. 


142 

occupied  by  a  people  who  resembled  the  Polynesians,  but  the 
stockades  of  the  North  by  a  people  who  were  more  like  the 
Mongolians.  Relics  of  the  Mound-builders  resemble  those  found 
in  Great  Britain  and  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  even  suggest  the 
transmission  of  the  same  myths  and  symbols  from  the  eastern  to 
the  western  continent.  Let  us  look  at  the  facts.  In  Goodyear's 
book  on  the  Grammar  of  the  Lotus,*  is  a  picture  of  the  divinity  of 
the  Gauls.  In  this  picture  the  divinity  is  crowned  with  the  horns 
of  the  deer,  exactly  as  the  Mound-builders'  chief,  found  in  the 
depths  of  the  mounds  on  the  Hopewell  farm  in  Southern  Ohio, 
was  crowned. f 

Mr.  J.  R.  Nissley  has  described  a  pipe  which  combined  the 
"cupstone"  symbols,  which  are  so  common  in  Great  Britain,  with 
the  serpent  symbol.  This  pipe  was  in  the  form  of  a  serpent,  one 
cup  mark  in  the  head  and  another  in  the  tail,  the  orifice  between 
making  the  mouth-piece  ;  but  on  the  base  of  the  pipe  were  several 
cup  marks,  making  the  pipe  doubly  symbolic.^ 

The  discovery  of  the  Exeter  vase  of  Nebraska,  with  its  shal 
low  receptacle  and  its  four  sides  carved  with  animal  heads,  and 
the  discovery  of  the  Toronto  pipe,  with  its  distorted  face,  pre 
senting  the  symbol  of  the  tree  and  serpent  on  its  side,  will  lead 
us  to  the  thought  that  there  must  have  been  a  pre-Columbian 
contact  with  other  countries.  The  progress  of  pre-historic 
archaeology  is  bringing  out  more  and  more  the  fact  that  there 
were  great  differences  between  the  races. § 

The  skulls  of  the  southern  Indians  certainly  differ  from  those 
of  the  northern  Indians,  even  if  the  language  was  the  same.  It 
is  easy  for  a  people  to  change  language,  but  constitutional  traits 
continue  through  many  generations.  The  Cherokees,  Iroquois, 
Dakotas,  may  have  belonged  to  the  same  stock,  separated  from 
one  another  in  the  Ohio  valley  at  some  remote  time,  but  they 
differed  from  the  Muscogees  and  southern  tribes,  and  as  to  the 
Shawnees,  it  is  acknowledged  they  belong  to  a  different  stock 
from  either.  These  facts  should  lead  us  to  the  habit  of  recog 
nizing  differences.  If  we  are  to  take  the  traditions  of  the  Indians 
into  the  account,  we  shall  conclude  that  the  southern  Mound- 
builders  came  from  the  West,  the  northern  Mound-builders  from 
the  East  or  Northeast. 

If  we  are  to  obliterate  all  distinctions  and  to  class  the  Mound- 
builders'  cult  with  the  modern  Indian,  making  out  that  the  his 
toric  tribes  properly  represent  the  pre-historic  conditions,  we 
may  as  well  give  up  our  study  of  pre-historic  archaeology,  and 
for  that  matter  the  study  of  the  science  of  sociology  also,  and 
say  that  there  was  no  difference  between  a  savage  warrior  and  a 
settled  agriculturist,  or  between  the  animal  worshiper  and  the 


::umnar  of  the  Lo;u«. 
Mich-lit  Monuments. 

I  See  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  XIV,  No.  4. 
9ee  Tbomas'a  History  of  Cherokees. 


143 

sun  worshiper,  between  the  stockade-builder  and  the  pyramid- 
builder.  The  term  Indian  has  been  applied  to  all  classes  and  all 
grades  and  all  districts,  embracing  the  Eskimo  fisherman,  the 
Indian  hunter,  the  southern  agriculturist,  Zuni,  Pueblos,  the 
civilized  Aztec,  the  Maya,  but  it  is  not  the  general  name  that  we 
need  so  much  as  the  specific  term,  and  so  we  prefer  to  classify 
the  works  of  the  Mississippi  valley  under  the  name  which  has 
already  gone  into  use  and  to  acknowledge  that  there  was  a 
Mound-builder's  cultus. 

The  theory  that  there  was  an  American  race  which  had  only 
one  language  and  pne  origin,  and  that  this  race  occupied  the 
entire  continent  and  filled  it  with  one  type  of  mankind,  has 
this  evil  tendency,  it  prevents  us  from  drawing  a  distinction 
between  the  different  languages,  customs,  symbols,  and  forestalls 
any  inquiry  as  to  previous  migration  or  pre-historic  contact 
with  other  races,  but  this  theory  is  even  worse,  for  it  shuts  our 
eyes  to  the  distinction  between  the  earlier  and  later  conditions 
and  puts  everything  on  one  dead  level.  We  need  a  closer  analysis 
and  minute  distinctions  rather  than  these  grand  generalizations.* 

If  there  was  a  historic,  a  proto-historic  and  a  pre-historic  period 
on  this  continent,  we  want  to  know  the  differences  in  the  cults 
rather  than  the  resemblances.  These  differences  are  shown  by 
the  specimens  of  art  and  architecture  that  still  remain,  and  we 
need  to  study  these  so  as  to  assign  them  to  the  different  periods 
and  races.  When  we  study  the  pre-historic  works,  we  recognize 
the  differences  between  them  and  ascribe  these  not  only  to  the 
different  modes  of  life  and  religious  systems  which  were  adopted 
by  the  races,  but  we  also  assign  the  different  cults  to  the  period 
and  age  to  which  they  belong? 

It  was  this  mistake  which  that  eminent  author,  Mr.  L.  H. 
Morgan.f  made  while  treating  of  American  Sociology  and  which 
many  of  his  disciples  are  making  to  this  day.  He  took  the 
cultus  of  thelroquois,  with  which  he  was  familiar,  and  made  it  a 
pattern  for  all  the  native  tribes  and  races,  reducing  everything, 
civilized  and  uncivilized,  to  the  same  simple  elements.  The  long 
house  of  the  Iroquois  served  as  a  pattern  to  him  for  the  houses 
of  the  Mound-builders,  and  seemed  to  prove  that  the  same  com 
munistic  state  everywhere  prevailed.  He  went  so  far  as  to 
reconstruct  a  Mound-builders'  village  after  the  same  pattern,  and 
placed  the  long  houses  on  the  summit  of  the  walls,  instead  of 
inside  the  enclosure.!  He  imagined  that  the  Pueblos,  of  Arizona, 
served  as  a  pattern  for  the  cities  of  Mexico  and  Central  America 
and  called  all  the  places  of  that  region  communistic  houses. 

He  maintained  that  the  civilized  races,  were  all  of  them,  not 
only  organized  into  clans,  but  were  in  the  communistic  state; 


*  See  Brinton's  American  Race. 
t  See  Morgan's  Ancient  Society. 

$  See  Norf  h  A  merican  Review ;  see  Morgan's  Houses  and  House  Life ;  see  Contri 
butions  to  Ethnol.  Bureau,  Vol.  III. 


144 

that  their  cities  were  nothing  but  Pueblos  and  their  kings  noth 
ing  but  chiefs;  that  everything  about  them  must  be  reduced  to 
a  primitive  state  and  run  in  the  same  mold  which  the  Iroquois 
furnished. 

II.  We  are  to  notice  the  variety  in  the  architecture  of  the  villages, 
especially  when  we  are  studying  the  village  life  of  the  Mound- 
builders  and  seek  to  recognize  the  differences  between  them  and 
the  other  tribes  or  races.  While  we  acknowledge  that  village 
life  was  universal  in  America,  yet  it  differed  according  to  locality, 
each  race  or  tribe  having  impressed  upon  their  villages  their 
own  ethnic  states  and  customs.  The  tribes,  to  be  sure,  were 
composed  of  clans,  and  the  clans  were  generally  gathered  into 
villages,  each  clan  having  a  village  by  itself. 

The  clans  or  tribes  might  be  organized  into  a  confederacy, 
the  land  belong  to  the  confederacy,  but  it  was  divided  and  held 
by  the  clans  and  could  not  be  alienated  except  by  consent  of  the 
clans  when  assembled  together.  There  was  no  such  thing  as 
property  in  severalty  or  landed  property.  Sometimes  there  was 
the  removal  of  a  nation  by  reason  of  defeats  and  oppressions,  but 
the  conquered  tribes,  when  they  felt  that  their  territory  had  been 
invaded  and  could  not  be  held  against  their  enemies,  generally 
moved  as  a  body.  Their  tribal  organization  was  stronger  than 
their  attachment  to  their  lands.  The  graves  of  their  fathers  were 
precious  to  them,  but  they  would  rather  leave  these  than  to  have 
their  tribe  broken  up.  The  element  of  religion  came  in.  Ances 
tral  worship  prevailed  among  many  of  the  tribes  and  thus  threw 
an  air  of  sacredness  over  the  abodes  of  their  ancestors  and  made 
their  villages  permanent.  The  graves  were  near  the  villages 
and  the  precious  remains  were  under  the  care  of  the  villagers  as 
such.  It  was  like  tearing  up  everything  that  was  precious  to 
them  when  they  were  forced  to  move.  It  was  for  this  reason 
that  the  village  clans  remained  so  long  in  their  territory  and 
defended  themselves  by  such  novel  methods.  It  was  for  this 
reason  also  that  the  same  clans,  when  they  changed  from 
one  district  to  another,  became  so  thoroughly  disorganized. 
Having  been  driven  from  their  original  territory,  in  which  their 
clan  life  had  found  such  embodiment,  they  seemed  to  have 
adopted  the  customs  and  habits  of  the  people  into  whose  terri 
tory  they  migrated,  making  the  old  village  sites  their  abodes, 
changing  the  old  works  into  new  uses.  This  question,  as  to 
what  became  of  the  Mound-builders  of  any  one  district,  is  per 
haps  to  be  answered  in  the  same  way.  The  Mound-builders 
were  evidently  as  tenacious  of  their  homes  as  the  Cliff-dwellers, 
but  there  were  tribes  and  confederacies  which  had  long  occupied 
certain  regions  and  had  reached  a  high  stage  of  advancement 
and  in  the  course  of  time  had  -constructed  a  most  elaborate  sys 
tem  of  works.  These  were  driven  off  by  the  invading  hosts  of 
savage  hunters  and  never  again  reconstructed  their  villages  or 


145 

their  homes.  The  change  which  must  have  come  upon  the 
country  is  exhibited  as  much  by  the  different  style  of  architecture 
which  they  adopted  as  by  anything  else. 

The  Indian  villages  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  in  the  state  of 
New  York  seem  to  have  been  more  permanent  than  those  on  the 
western  prairies.  They  were  frequently  surrounded  by  stockades 
and  were  connected  with  one  another  by  trails.  The  Indian  villages 
of  Virginia  have  been  described  by  early  discoverers.  The 
village  of  Pomeiock  was  pictured  by  the  painter  Wyeth.  From 
this  we  learn  the  arrangement  of  the  village.  We  see  the  fields 
of  corn,  fields  of  tobacco,  garden  full  of  melons,  forests  full  of 
deer,  a  pond  in  the  back-ground;  a  broad  roadway  passes 
through  the  village;  on  one  side  are  the  houses  of  the  chief,  the 
houses  for  the  preservation  of  the  dead,  and  houses  for  the  fami 
lies  ;  on  the  other  side  the  dance  circle,  the  feast  tables,  and  the 
mourning  places.  The  houses  in  the  village  are  rectangular, 
with  curved  roofs,  and  resemble  the  houses  of  the  Iroquois. 

The  picture  of  the  village  of  the  southern  Indians  represent 
the  houses  as  circular,  the  roofs  dome-shaped,  with  the  stockade 
surrounding  them.  There  is,  however,  no  earth-work  in  either 
of  these  pictures.  The  villages  were  just  such  as  were  occupied 
by  the  later  tribes  when  they  were  in  a  settled  condition.  These 
Indians,  to  be  sure,  might  have  possibly  built  earth-works  at  one 
time  and  abandoned  the  habit,  but  if  so  it  must  have  been  before 
the  discovery.  The  natural  supposition  is  that  they  were  a 
different  class  of  people,  who  came  in  after  the  Mound-builders. 
We  divide  the  Mound-builders'  villages  into  several  classes, 
which  differ  according  to  their  location,  both  in  their  method  of 
defense,  their  general  arrangement,  style  of  architecture,  class  of 
relics  which  they  contain,  and  the  mode  of  life  which  they 
exhibit.  Those  of  the  effigy  mounds  being  in  one  class,  the 
"burial  mounds"  in  another,  and  military  works  in  another, 
sacred  enclosures  in  another.  The  most  remarkable  of  these 
are  in  Ohio,  for  they  show  that  village  life  had  reached  a  high 
stage.  The  villages  of  Arkansas  are  also  to  be  mentioned. 
These  were  filled  with  lodge  circles,  and  in  these  were  large 
pyramidal  or  dormiciliary  mounds  and  occasionally  a  lookout 
monnd.  These  resembled  the  Ohio  villages,  in  that  they  were 
square  enclosures,  but  they  had  no  such  elaborate  gateways,  and 
no  such  watch-towers  within  the  gateways,  and  no  concentric 
circles  or  combination  of  circles  and  squares,  and  no  adjoining 
enclosures  which  contained  altars  or  burial  mounds;  they  were 
plain  village  enclosures,  in  which  all  the  purposes  of  village  life 
were  carried  out  and  only  a  single  wall  surrounding  the  whole, 
the  defense  being  given  by  this  wall  and  a  stockade  placed  upon 
the  summit.  They  resembled  the  villages  of  the  stone  grave 
people  of  Tennessee,  in  that  they  contained  many  graves  within 
the  enclosure,  as  well  as  lodge  circles  and  pyramids.  These 


146 

may  be  called  the  villages  of  the  pottery- makers,  for  large  quan 
tities  of  pottery  have  been  found  in  the  enclosures.  Entire 
mounds  of  large  size  have  been  opened  and  found  full  of  nothing 
but  pottery.  The  villages  of  the  Gulf  States  were  peculiar. 
These,  for  the  most  part,  were  destitute  of  any  circumvallation. 
In  its  place,  however,  is  to  be  found  a  large  moat,  which  served 
all  the  purposes  of  a  moat  around  a  feudal  castle,  the  defense 
of  the  village  having  been  formed  by  a  palisade  of  timbers,  with 
gateways  and,  perhaps,  draw-bridges. 

The  chief  peculiarity  of  these  villages  is  that  there  are  so 
many  pyramids  grouped  around  a  central  area,  with  the  abrupt 
sides  turned  toward  the  moat  o*  fish-ponds,  but  the  sides  on 
which  approaches  and  graded  ways  and  terraces  are  to  be  seen 
are  directed  toward  the  central  area.  The  villages  of  the  eastern 
district  of  the  Gulf  States  are  also  marked  with  pyramids,  but 
they  are  generally  pyramids  placed  in  pairs — one  of  them  being 
rectangular,  with  terraced  sides  and  graded  ways  for  approaches; 
the  other  oval  or  conical,  with  its  summit  truncated,  and  a  spiral 
pathway  leading  to  the  summit.  In  these  villages  was  a  chunky 
yard,  also  a  distinctive/eature;  the  rotunda,  having  been  elevated 
on  the  summit  of  the  cone,  was  placed  at  one  end  of  the  yard, 
the  pyramid,  with  the  chief's  house  on  its  summit,  was  located 
at  the  other  end  of  the  yard.  The  area  within  the  yard  was 
used  as  the  public  square  or  campus,  the  dance  ground  or 
the  place  for  the  trying  of  captives.  Descriptions  have  been 
written  by  various  travelers,  such  as  Adair  and  Bartram,  who 
visited  these  villages  when  they  were  occupied  by  the  Cherokees, 
so  we  that  know  exactly  the  use  to  which  each  part  of  the  village 
was  applied.  Descriptions  given  by  the  Portuguese  traveler,  the 
historian  of  De  Soto's  expedition,  reveal  to  us  also  the  use  which 
was  made  of  the  pyramids  in  the  western  district  by  such  tribes 
as  dwelt  there  at  the  time. 

The  Tennessee  villages  were  furnished  with  more  conveni 
ences  and  show  better  provisions  for  defense,  for  subsistence 
and  for  the  carrying  out  of  all  the  purposes  and  customs  con 
nected  with  village  life,  but  they  were,  after  all,  arranged  after 
the  same  general  plan  and  show  the  same  clan  organization.  The 
houses  were  generally  arranged  around  a  public  square,  within 
which  the  people  assembled,  making  it  a  common  campus.  The 
temples,  council  houses,  dance  grounds  and  burial  grounds  they 
placed  separately  by  themselves,  making  them  somewhat  exclusive 
and  more  sacred  than  their  private  houses.  There  were  in  all 
the  villages  provisions  for  the  different  classes — governmental 
and  common — and  conveniences  for  religious  ceremonies,  popu 
lar  assembles,  festivals  and  amusements,  and  for  burials. 

In  the  ancient  villages  of  Ohio,  there  seems  to  have  been 
a  separate  enclosure  for  each  of  the  classes  and  for  each  especial 
purpose.  The  clan  elders  had  their  houses  inside  of  the  square 


147 


enclosure  and  the  people  had  their  lodges  inside  of  the  large 
circle;  but  trie  religious  houses  or  round  houses  were  located  in 
a  small  circle  adjoining  the  two,  the  burial  places  and  dance 
grounds  being  placed  in  enclosures  by  themselves.  Some  of 
these  villages  in  Ohio  present  evidence  that  there  was  a  sacrificial 


MM 

4«.  i  ^  iht  hch. 


Fig.  10.—  A  Mound-builders'1  Fort* 

place  in  the  midst  of  the  large  enclosure,  and  human  sacrifices 
were  offered  to  the  sun. 

This  thought  that  the  Mound-builders  had  reached  a  stage 
where  the  different  classes  were  recognized  and  where  conven 
iences  were  provided  for  them  is  worthy  of  notice,  for  in  this 
consists  one  great  difference  between  the  ages.  It  matters  not 


*Tbe  works  represented  by  this  cut  and  the  one  on  page  138  are  situated  in  Butler 
County,  Ohio.  The  difference  between  the  walled  villages  and  the  forts  will  be  aeeo 
from  the  cuts. 


11  be  seen- 


148 

what  stock  or  race  was  represented  by  the  villages,  yet  the  fact 
that  there  are  earth-works  which  were  occupied  by  the  different 
classes  shows  that  the  cultus  was  entirely  different  from  that  of 
savagery.  Savages  may  indeed  have  had  chiefs  and  clan  elders 
and  priests  or  medicine  men,  but  their  villages  were  rarely  built 
to  accommodate  these  different  classes.*  The  fact  that  there 
were  different  kinds  of  villages  in  the  same  territory  is  then  im 
portant  in  this  connection.  It  appears  also  that  at  one  period 
there  were  tribal  capitals  or  central  villages,  and  perhaps  places 
of  tribal  assembly  for  the  observance  of  religious  ceremonies,  as 
well  as  clan  villages. f 

The  proximity  of  villages  to  one  another  and  their  location 
along  the  valleys  of  the  streams  show  that  the  tribal  system  pre 
vailed,  and  that  the  tribes  took  the  rivers  for  their  habitats,  the 
villages  being  the  abodes  of  the  clans.  The  discovery  of  the 
central  villages  and  works  peculiar  to  themselves  proves  also  that 
there  were  confederacies  which  combined  the  tribes.  These  filled 
the  districts  with  the  works  devoted  to  defense,  government  and 
religion,  as  well  as  domestic  life,  and  so  gave  great  variety  to 
the  earth-works. 

The  defense  of  the  village  varied  according  to  the  locality.  In 
some  places  it  was  secured  by  placing  a  heavy  earth  wall  around 
the  entire  village;  in  others  by  placing  the  villages  in  the  midst 
of  isolated  tongues  of  land,  making  the  position  a  source  of 
safety ;  in  others  the  pyramids  were  erected,  their  abrupt  sides 
forming  a  barrier  against  approach,  while  the  terraced  sides  and 
graded  way  furnished  easy  access  to  the  people  who  might  de 
sire  to  resort  to  their  summits  in  time  of  danger.  The  groups 
of  pyramids  were  sometimes  surrounded  by  moats,  which  served 
as  fish-ponds  in  times  of  peace  but  barriers  in  times  of  war,  re 
sembling  in  this  respect  the  feudal  castles.  There  were  a  few 
villages  that  were  destitute  of  circumvallation,  though  these 
were  perhaps  at  one  time  surrounded  by  timber  palisades  or  by 
stone  and  earth  walls,  which  have  disappeared.  The  size  of  the 
enclosures  varied  according  to  the  population  they  were  designed 
to  accommodate.  They  varied  from  twenty-five  to  two  hundred 
acres.  In  some  casesj  there  were  several  adjoining  enclosures,  so 
that  the  village  would  be  divided  into  two  or  three  parts,  the 
entire  circumvallation  extending  several  miles,  including  one  or 
two  hundred  acres,  and  in  other  cases§  there  was  a  single  enclo 
sure,  everything  being  included  in  that. 

Burial  mounds  are  generally  connected  with  villages.  These 
vary  also  according  to  the  district.  Those  in  the  prairie  re 
gion  form  one  class,  those  in  Ohio  another  class,  and  those 
in  the  Gulf  States  still  another  class,  recent  explorations  show- 

*Mr.  Thruston  thinks  there  was  a  division  oflabor,  and  refers  to  the  trowels  dis 
covered  among  the  stone  graves  as  proof  that  the  plasterers'  trade  was  followed. 

fAztlan,  Marietta  and  Portsmouth  were  capitals;  Newark,  Circleville  and  many 
other  places  were  clan  villages.  {In  Ohio.  £In  Indiana. 


E05S    COUNTY,  OHIO 

(Four  niles  north  of  ChiUicadit  j 

Da.* i* 


VILLAGE  BNCLOSUBE  AND  COVERED  WAY. 

The  works  at  Hopeton  represent  the  character  of  the  ancient  Mound-builders' 
villages.  They  were  situated  on  the  third  terrace,  just  below  an  elevated  plain;  the 
rectangle  measures  950  by  900.  the  circle  1,050  feet;  twelve  gateways,  each  60  feet  in 
width.  The  two  circles  meavure  200  and  250  feet;  one  covers  a  gateway,  the  other  cuts 
into  the  square.  The  walls  of  the  rectangle  were  12  ieet  high  and  50  feet  base.  Two 
parrallel  walls  extend  toward  the  river,  2,400  feet  in  length,  150  Ieet  apart  They  ter 
minated  at  the  foot  of  the  terrace,  where  the  river  once  ran,  though  a  fertile  bottom 
now  intervenes.  This  covered  way  may  have  connected  the  village  of  Hopeton  with 
Mound  City,  which  is  just  opposite.  This  suggests  the  religious  ceremony  of  cross 
ing  the  river  with  their  dead,  similar  to  that  of  the  Egyptians. 


WODRflLS, 

BOSS     CO.    OHIO. 


SCALC 

MX3fll.Af     Inch. 


VILLAGE  ENCLOSURE  AND  DANCE  CIRCLE. 

The  Cedar  Bank  work  Is  a  square  enclosure,  and  is  but  half  a  mile  from  Hopeton. 
Between  the  two  were  the  lanje  trun-  ated  mound  and  circle,  giving  the  idea  that 
these  were  the  sites  of  temples  where  the  villagers  worshiped.  The  works  at  High 
Bank  consist  of  one  octagon  950  feet  in  diameter,  a  circle  1,050  feet,  and  four  small 
circles  300  feet;  the  walls  were  formerly  12  feet  high  and  50  feet  at  base.  A  large 
truncated  mound  30  feet  high  was  formerly  on  the  terrace,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away. 
A  covered  way  connects  the  village  with  the  circle  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  The 
river  formerly  flowed  near  the  bank  and  cut  away  the  terrace  and  part  of  the  circle, 
leaving  the  bank  80  teet  high,  but  now  it  flows  at  a  distance.  An  Indian  town  was 
situated  a  short  distance  below  this  point  and  an  Indian  burinl  place  on  the  brow  of 
the  hi  11,  the  two  contrasting  strangely  with  the  ancient  works  of  the  Mound-builders. 
The  plate  illustrates  the  antiquity  of  the  Mound-builders'  villages. 


149 

ing  that  many  of  the  large  mounds,  both  pyramids  and  pyrami 
dal  and  conical,  were  used  for  burial  purposes.  Altars  have 
been  found  in  some  of  them. 

III.  We  now  turn  to  a  comparison  of  the  village  enclosures. 
This  comparison  might  lead  us  to  consider  the  villages  of  all 
the  modern  Indians.  We  shall,  however,  confine  ourselves 
mainly  to  the  enclosures  of  Ohio,  for  these  seem  to  be  the  most 
complete  specimens  of  village  enclosures  to  be  found  anywhere 
among  the  uncivilized  races.  We  find  in  them  the  elements 
which  go  to  make  up  village  architecture  everywhere.  The  fol 
lowing  are  the  elements  given  by  the  Ohio  earth-works:  I,  the 
circumvallation  ;  2,  the  lodge  circle,  including  the  estufas;  3,  the 
temple  platform ;  4,  the  observatory  or  watch  tower;  5,  the  cov 
ered  ways,  including  the  protected  landing,  or  graded  way;  6,  the 
sacrificial  place  or  sacred  burial  enclosure;  7,  the  fortifications ; 
8,  the  lookout  mounds. 

We  now  take  up  the  description  of  the  villages, 

i.  It  should  be  noticed,  that  the  villages  of  the  different  dis 
tricts  all  had  circumvallations  which  were  very  marked.  The 
villages  of  the  emblematic  mound-builders  had  effigies  near 
them,  those  of  the  tomb  builders  had  circles  of  burial  mounds 
about  them,  those  of  the  pyramid-builders  had  pyramids  around 
them,  and  those  of  the  lodge-builders  had  walls  on  the  outside 
and  lodge  circles  inside,  to  charactize  them.  In  like  manner  the 
defenses  of  the  serpent  worshipers  had  the  serpent  effigy  to  char 
acterize  them,  and  the  villages  of  the  sun  worshipers  had  the 
circle,  crescent,  horse-shoe,  and  other  symbols  to  characterize 
them,  each  district  containing  a  different  religious  system  and  a 
different  class  of  works  which  embodied  it. 

There  is  this  difference,  between  the  villages  of  Ohio  and 
those  found  elsewhere.  The  villages  here  were  always  char 
acterized  by  a  double  or  a  triple  enclosure,  one  of  them  being 
a  square  and  the  other  a  circle  or  a  cluster  of  circles.  That  at 
Newark  contains  five  enclosures  and  three  sets  of  parallel  walls, 
with  an  effigy  in  one  of  the  enclosures  and  many  small  circles 
scattered  around  among  the  covered  ways. 

The  most  remarkable  of  all  the  village  sites  are  perhaps  those 
at  Hopeton,  Newark,  Circleville,  Highbank,  and  Twinsburg. 
That  at  Hopeton  is  the  most  beautiful,  where  there  is  a  square 
and  circle,  and  two  or  three  smaller  circles  joining  the  squares 
on  the  outside.  There  are  found  on  the  third  bottom.  They 
consist  of  a  rectangle  with  an  attached  circle.  The  rectangle 
measures  950  by  900  feet.  The  circle  is  1050  feet  in  diameter. 
The  gateways  are  twelve  in  number,  and  have  an  average  width 
of  about  25  feet.  On  the  east  side  are  two  circles,  measuring 
200  and  250  feet,  the  gateways  or  opening  to  the  circles  cor 
responding  to  the  gateways  in  the  square.  The  walls  of  the 
larger  work  are  12  feet  high,  50  feet  wide  at  the  base.  "They 


ISO 

resemble  the  heavy  grading  of  a  railway,  and  are  broad  enough 
on  the  top  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  coach."  It  is  probable 
that  on  the  summit  of  these  walls  there  was  a  timber  palisade 
resembling  those  at  Circleville,  or  possibly  like  those  described 
by  Dr.  William  Dawson  as  Hochelega.  There  are  no  ditches 
outside  the  wall,  but  a  ditch  inside  that  of  the  smaller  circles. 
This  characteristic  of  the  Ohio  villages  has  never  been  ex 
plained.  It  was  probably  owing  to  a  peculiar  social  organiza 
tion,  but  that  organization  is  now  unknown,  and  we  are  left  only 
to  conjecture  as  to  what  it  was.  The  square  may  have  been 
used  for  the  governing  class,  very  much  as  the  truncated  pyra 
mids  at  the  south  were.  The  large  circular  enclosure  may  have 
contained  the  lodges  of- the  common  people,  the  village  proper. 
The  small  circles  may  have  been  the  sweat  houses  or  assembly 
places  for  the  villagers.  lu  the  cases  where  there  are  three 
enclosures,  the  third,  which  was  a  circle,  may  have  been  used 
by  the  priestly  class,  if  we  may  suppose  that  there  was  such  a 
class. 

2.  We  have  said  that  the  enclosures  were  used  as  clan  residences. 
These  residences  were  in  villages.   Wherever  there  was  a  clan  there 
was  a  village,  and  what  is  more  the  villages  were  not  built  by 
individuals  or  by  families,  but  were  built  by  the  clan.     We  are 
uncertain  what  kind  of  houses  they  were.     They  may  have  been 
frail  temporary  structures    built  of  poles,   covered   with  skins, 
bark  or  dirt,  similar  to  those  of  the  Mandans.     They  may  have 
been  circular  lodges,  such  lodges  as  have  left  their  rings  in  many 
places  in  the  south  and  west.     They  may  have  been  long  houses, 
however,  built  after  the  model  of  the  Iroquois  long  house.    There 
may  have  been  a  difference  between  them,  some  of  them  being 
mere  circular  lodges  or  tents,  others  square  or  rectangular  build 
ings,  resembling  those  built  by  the  southern  tribes — Choctaws, 
Chickasaws  and  Creeks.     The  sweat  houses  or  estufas,  or  assem 
bly  places,  may   have   been  circular  buildings,  resembling  the 
rotundas  of  the  Cherokees,  while  the  house  of  the  chiefs  may 
have  been  square,  or  rectangular,  similar  to   those   which   were 
erected  on  the  summit  of  the  platforms  or  pyramids  of  the  Gulf 
States.      There   are    lodge    circles    or    rings    with    fire-beds    in 
Ohio,  such  as  have  been  found  in  Tennessee  and  Missouri,  and 
in  some  cases  in  Iowa.     These  lodge  rings,  however,  are  sugges 
tive,  for  they  show  what  might  have  been  the  arrangement  of  the 
houses   among  the  Ohio  mound-builders.      These   rings   were 
generally  placed  in  lines  around  the  outside  of  a  central  square, 
or  plaza,  as  the  Spaniards  call  it.     Somewhere  in  the  enclosure 
there  would  be  a  high  mound  which  was  used  as  a  lookout.    This 
would  be  near  the  edge  of  the  village. 

3.  In  the  center  of  most  of  these  villages  there  is  a  platform  or 
truncated  pyramid,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  place 
where  the  chiefs  had  their  houses.    This  is  the  uniform  arrange- 


151 

ment  of  the  villages,  as  they  are  found  in  the  mountain  district 
of  Tennessee  and  in  the  cypress  swamps  of  Arkansas  and  Mis 
souri.  The  arrangement  of  the  Ohio  villages  may  have  beet 
the  same,  at  least  there  are  platforms,  elliptical  or  circular  in 
shape,  which  are  situated  in  the  center,  showing  that  a  public 
building  of  some  kind  was  in  the  midst  of  the  enclosure. 

4.  The  parallel  walls  form  another  peculiar  feature  of  the 
villages  of  Ohio.  These  generally  extend  from  the  enclosures 
to  the  river's  bank,  but  sometimes  extend  from  one  enclosure  to 
another.  They  were  probably  intended  to  protect  the  people 
as  they  went  to  and  from  the  villages.  The  works  at  Newark 
illustrate  this  point.  (See  the  Plate.)  These  works  are  inter 
esting.  They  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  plain,  which  is 
surrounded  by  high  hills  on  all  sides,  one  hill  being  especially 
prominent,  the  hill  on  which  the  alligator  mound  is  situated. 
The  works  are  very  extensive.  They  cover  in  extent  about 
two  miles  square,  and  consist  of  three  grand  divisions,  which 
are  connected  by  parallel  walls.  The  most  prominent  is  the 
circular  structure,  which  is  called  the  old  fort.  The  area  of 
this  structure  is  something  over  thirty  acres.  In  the  center  of 
it  is  the  mound  ot  singular  shape,  which  is  called  the  bird;  the 
head  of  the  bird  pointed  directly  toward  the  entrance  of  the 
enclosure.  This  so-called  bird  originally  contained  an  altar. 
It  seemed  to  point  out  a  religious  design  to  the  whole  structure, 
and  yet  it  may  have  been  only  a  central  object  in  the  midst  of  a 
village,  an  object  which  would  show  that  the  villagers  were 
peculiarly  superstitious  The  gateway  of  this  fort,  so-called,  is 
very  imposing.  The  walls  are  not  less  than  16  feet  in  height, 
and  a  ditch  within  is  13  feet  deep,  giving  an  entire  height  of 
about  30  feet.  "In  entering  the  ancient  avenue  for  the  first  time 
the  visitor  does  not  fail  to  experience  a  sensation  of  awe,  such 
as  he  might  feel  in  passing  the  portals  of  an  Egyptian  temple." 
Such  is  the  testimony  of  the  author  of  "Ancient  Monuments," 
but  the  writer  can  bear  witness  that  the  same  impression  was 
made  upon  himseif  when  entering  it  for  the  first  time.  The 
circle  is  nearly  a  true  circle,  its  diameter  being  1189  by  1163 
feet.  The  circle  is  united  with  a  square  by  parallel  walls,  which 
form  a  wide  covered  way.  There  is  between  the  square  and 
the  creek  or  river  another  large  enclosure,  which  is  partially 
surrounded  by  walls,  and  which  has  a  complicated  system  of 
covered  ways  connected  with  it.  This  seems  to  have  been  the 
central  spot  for  the  two  villages  which  were  located  here.  It 
may  have  been  a  place  of  assembly,  a  dance  ground  or  a  feast 
place.  There  is  a  single  circle  within  it,  a  number  of  conical 
mounds,  and  a  graded  way  which  leads  from  it  to  the  edge  of 
the  terrace,  situated  south  of  it.  This  graded  way  is  a  peculiar 
work,  but  is  similar  to  those  found  at  Piketon  and  Marietta.  The 
chief  peculiarity  of  the  work  is  that  there  are  parallel  walls; 
two  ot  these,  which  are  upwards  of  a  mile  in  length,  extend 


152 

from  the  works  just  described  to  the  octagon  situated  west  or 
northwest  of  the  old  fort  or  great  circle.  These  parallel  lines 
were  probably  covered  ways,  one  of  which  connected  the  vil 
lage  enclosures  with  one  another,  the  other  connecting  the  west 
enclosure  or  octagon  with  the  bottom  land  and  river's  edge, 
though  the  two  covered  ways  are  nearly  parallel.  There  is  a 
third  lipe,  which  extends  from  the  octagon  southward  for  nearly 
two  miles  This  covered  way  loses  itself  in  the  plain.  It  may 
have  been  designed  to  protect  the  villagers  as  they  went  to  and 
from  the  fields. 

In  the  center  of  the  works,  nearly  surrounded  by  the  covered 
ways,  is  a  large  pond,  which  may  have  served  as  a  reservoir  of 
water  fot  both  villages,  as  access  could  be  gained  to  it  through 
the  openings  in  the  walls  from  either  side.  There  are  small 
circles  scattered  around  among  the  works.  These  may  have 
been  the  estufas  or  sweat  houses,  as  they  all  have  the  same 
general  appearance  and  dimensions.  The  chief  feature  of  the 
work  is  the  octagon  and  small  circle.*  The  octagon  has  eight 
gateways,  each  gateway  being  guarded  by  an  elliptical  mound 
or  truncated  pyramid,  5  feet  high,  80  by  100  feet  at  base.  The 
circle  connected  with  the  octagon  is  a  true  circle  2080  teet 
—upwards  of  half  a  mile — in  circumference.  It  has  on  the 
southwest  side  what  was  probably  once  a  gateway,  but  it  seems 
to  have  been  abandoned  and  an  observatory  built  in  its  stead. 
See  Fig.  7. 

5.  The  watch  towers  and  observatory  mounds  are  also  to 
be  noticed.  The  observatory  at  Newark  is  very  imposing.  It 
is  170  feet  long,  is  8  feet  higher  than  the  general  embankment, 
overlooks  the  entire  work,  and  may  have  been  used  as  a  look 
out  station  to  protect  the  fields  adjoining.  A  number  of  small 
circles,  which  are  called  watch  towers  by  Atwater,  are  found 
connected  with  the  works,  and  are  chiefly  embraced  in  the  area 
between  the  parallel  walls. 

In  reference  to  the  works  at  Newark  in  its  different  parts, 
Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  say:  " Several  extraordinary  coinci 
dences  are  exhibited  between  them  and  the  works  situated  else 
where.  The  smaller  circle  is  identical  in  size  with  that  belonging 
to  the  Hopeton  works  and  that  at  Highbank,  which  are  situated 
seventy  miles  distant.  The  square  has  the  same  areas  as  the 
square  at  Hopeton  and  the  octagon  at  Highbank.  The  octa 
gon  has  the  same  area  as  the  square  at  Marietta.  There  are 
mounds  inside  of  the  gateway  the  same  as  found  in  other  places. 
The  observatory  here  corresponds  to  the  large  observatory  at 
Marietta,  though  that  is  somewhat  higher.  The  small  circles, 
which  we  call  estufas,  are  of  the  same  general  character  and 

*Each  has  a  diameter  of  about  200  feet,  has  a  ditch  interior  to  the  walls,  and  ele 
vated  embankments  in  the  shape  of  crescents  inteiior  to  the  ditch.  This  is  the 
common  form  with  all  of  the  small  circles  which  arc  so  numerous  In  connection 
with  the  village  sites. 


153 


dimensions  as  those  found  at  Hopeton,  at  Highbank,  at  the 
junction  group,  and  at  Chillicothe.  The  resemblances  between 
the  village  at  Newark  and  those  tound  elsewhere  in  this  district 
are,  we  think,  quite  significant.  We  find  in  many  of  the 
other  works,  especially  those  on  Paint  Creek  and  in  the  Scioto 
Valley,  that  there  are  three  enclosures,  two  of  them  being  a 
circle  and  square,  and  a  third  being  irregular  in  form,  but  gen 
erally  larger  than  either  the  circle  or  square,  This  larger  en 
closure  sometimes  intervenes  between  the  circle  aud  the  square 
and  sometimes  it  is  situated  at  the  side  of  each,  making  a  tri- 


fif/.  7. — Observatory  at  Newark. 

angle  with  them.  It  is  probable  that  the  same  use  was  made 
of  this  large  enclosures  in  the  other  localities  that  was  made  of 
the  large  enclosure  at  Newark,  the  only  difference  being  that 
connected  with  the  circle  and  square,  it  constituted  one  village, 
but  in  this  case  it  served  for  the  two  villages,  the  connection 
between  them  being  secured  by  the  parallel  wall.* 

6.  We  turn  to  the  description  of  the  graded  ways.  These  are 
very  interesting  works,  but  confirm  what  we  have  said  about 
village  sites.  There  is  a  graded  way  at  Newark,  another  at 
Piketon,  another  at  Marietta,  and  another  is  said  to  be  situated 
at  Piqua.  They  all  have  the  same  general  characteristics.  They 


*The  reader  will  see  this  plainly  by  examining  the  plates  in  the  Ancient  Monu 
ments.  See  Highbank  works,  Plate  XVI,  works  on  Liberty  Township.  Plate  XY, 
works  on  Paint  Creek,  Plate  XXI,  1  and  2,  and  works  on  the  Scioto  near  Chillicothe, 
and  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  at  Old  Chillicothe,  Plate  XXI,  Nos.  3,  4.  See 
works  at  Hopetou,  XVII,  also  works  in  the  Scioto  Valley,  Plate  II,  also  at  Blackwater 
group,  XXII,  No.  2.  Clai  ke's  Works  contains  the  square  and  the  circle,  but  the  cir 
cle  is  inside  of  the  large  enclosure,  which  is  very  much  larger  than  the  ordinary 
square,  being 2800  by  1800  feet,  and  contains  an  area  of  111  acres,  instead  of  50. 


154 

run  from  the  terrace  on  which  the  village  enclosure  was  situ 
ated  down  to  the  bottom  lands.  The  bottom  lands  are  now 
dry,  but  it  is  probable  that  at  the  time  the  works  were  built 
they  constituted  the  river  bed.  The  object  of  the  graded  way 
was  undoubted  to  secure  a  landing  places  ior  canoes.  The 
rivers  of  Southern  Ohio  are  still  subject  to  floods.  They  were 
probably  severer  in  prehistoric  times.  The  walls  on  either  side 
of  the  graded  way  would  serve  a  double  purpose;  they  would 
protect  the  villagers  as  they  went  to  the  water's  edge,  and  would 
also  keep  the  canoes  from  being  carried  away  by  the  sudden 
rise  of  the  water.  The  graded  way  at  Newark  has  a  tongue 
of  land  which  extends  beyond  the  walls.  This  may  have  served 


F'ni.  S -(.;>•< i <lrd    \\'<iij  at  Pikt'lnn. 

as  a  sort  of  landing  place  or  quasi  wharf.  Owl  Creek,  a  small 
stream,  ftows  south  of  this  work.  The  elevated  grade  was  ex 
tended  out  to  the  water  in  this  creek.  In  the  case  of  the  graded 
way  at  Piketon  and  at  Newark  the  incline  begins  at  the  bottom 
land  and  rises  by  a  gradual  ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  terrace. 
The  breadth  between  the  walls  at  Piketon  is  215  feet  at  one 
end  and  203  at  the  other,  but  the  way  is  1080  feet  long;  the  rise 
is  17  feet.  See  Fig.  8.  The  height  of  the  wall,  measured  from 
the-  lower  extremity  of  the  grade,  is  no  less  than  22  feet,  but 
measured  from  the  common  surface  varies  from  n  feet  at  the 
brink  to  5  feet  at  the  upper  terrace  The  ascent  is  very  grad 
ual.  At  the  upper  extremity  of  the  grade  there  is  a  wall  which 
runs  2580  feet  toward  a  group  of  mounds,  which  at  present  are 
enclosed  in  a  cemetery.  There  is  also  another  mound  30  feet 
high  about  40  rods  away.  The  object  of  this  graded  way  is 
unknown,  but  judging  from  its  similarity  to  other  graded  ways 
in  the  same  state,  we  conclude  that  there  was  a  village  site  on 


155 

the  upper  terrace,  though  there  are  no  walls  perceptible  there. 
The  graded  way  at  Marietta  is  also  very  interesting.  This  has 
already  been  described.  A  distance  of  several  hundred  feet 
intervenes  between  the  end  of  the  graded  way  and  the  bank  of 
the  river,  which  is  here  35  or  40  feet  in  height.  It  has  been 
conjectured  that  the  river  flowed  immediately  at  the  foot  of  the 
way  at  the  time  of  its  construction.  If  so,  it  would  prove  the 
antiquity  of  the  works  to  be  very  great.  Graded  ways  similar 
to  these  in  Ohio  are  found  in  Georgia  in  connection  with  the 
high  conical  mounds,  but  they  generally  lead  to  ponds,  and  may 
have  been  used  for  a  different  purpose. 

7.  In  reference  to  the  association  of  the  fortifications  with  the 
villages  and  the  sacred  enclosures,  a  few  words  will  be  appropri 
ate.  It  is  explained  by  the  peculiarities  of  clan  life.  It  appears 
that  among  all  uncivilized  races  the  clan  was  the  unit.  The  family 
was  nothing  when  compared  with  the  clan.  In  fact,  the  clan 
seemed  to  be  more  important  than  the  tribe.  It  was  much  more 
important  than  the  nation,  if  the  nation  existed.  It  is  probable 
that  the  communistic  system  prevailed  in  most  of  the  clans. 
Subsistence  was  secured  by  members  of  the  clan.  The  burials 
may  have  been  in  clans,  or  by  a  number  of  clans  uniting  together. 
The  so-called  altar  mounds  were  probably  the  places  where 
several  clans  were  brought  together  and  presented  their  offerings 
and  made  their  burials.  The  fortifications  were  also  places 
where  the  clans  came  togeter  for  common  defense. 

Many  of  these  hill  forts  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  village  en 
closures.  One  of  them,  that  at  Bourneville,  has  been  frequently 
described.  It  is  very  large,  containing  140  acres,  being  situated 
in  the  midst  of  the  villages  on  Paint  Creek.  The  Ancient  Fort 
and  that  at  Hamilton,  on  the  Great  Miami,  were  also  large.  These 
were  situated  not  far  from  other  village  enclosures.  The  fortified 
hill  called  "Fort  Hill,"  in  Highland  County,  is  not  very  far  from 
villages,  being  but  thirty  miles  from  Chillicothe.  The  fortified 
hill  near  Granville  is  near  the  works  at  Newark,  but  it  was  prob 
ably  built  by  a  later  race,  as  it  differs  very  materially  from  the 
works  at  Newark.  The  ancient  works  on  Massey's  Creek,  in 
Greene  County,  may  have  been  erected  by  the  typical  mound- 
builders  of  the  district,  but  of  the  works  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Miami,  on  the  Great  Miami,  in  Butler  County  and  Hamilton 
County,  there  is  some  uncertainty.  Some  of  them  may  have 
belonged  to  the  typical  mound-builders,  but  others  may  have 
been  built  by  an  earlier  or  a  later  race. 

This  is  also  the  use  which  was  made  of  Fort  Ancient.  A  part 
of  this  had  been  built  by  a  race  of  effigy-builders,  the  same  race 
who  built  the  great  serpent  and  made  it  the  great  center  of  ser 
pent  worship.  A  part  of  it.  however,  was  probably  built  by  the 
same  people  who  erected  the  village  enclosures,  who  were  sun 
worshipers.  There  are  some  reasons  for  believing  that  the  ser 


156 

pent  worshipers  migrated  from  this  part  of  Ohio  and  afterwards 
became  the  effigy -builders  of  Wisconsin,  as  there  are  many  ser 
pent  effigies  scattered  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
the  route  which  they  are  supposed  to  have  taken  in  their  migra 
tion.  The  sun  worshipers  may  possibly  have  been  the  same 
people,  and  yet  the  probability  is  that  they  migrated  southward 
and  became  the  pyramid-builders  of  the  Southern  States,  em 
bodying  that  worship  in  the  pyramid  as  they  had  here  in  the 
circles  and  crescents. 

8.  The  connection  of  the  village  enclosures  with  the  lookout 
mounds  is  our  last  point.  These  lookout  mounds  may  have 
been  used  by  all  of  the  different  tribes  or  races  which  oc 
cupied  the  district,  but  it  is  plain  that  they  were  also  used  by  the 
people  of  the  village  enclosures.  Squier  and  Davis  speak  of 
the  lookout  on  the  top  of  the  hill  above  Chillicothe,  the  lookout 
which  commands  a  view  of  the  whole  district  in  which  the  vil 
lages  were  situated.  The  writer  has  visited  the  great  mound  at 
Miamisburg,  and  found  that  it  commanded  a  view  of  the  valley 
in  which  were  the  works  at  Alexandersville,  and  at  the  same  time 
was  connected  with  others  which  reached  as  far  as  Fort  Ancient. 
One  peculiarity  about  this  mound  was  noticed.  At  a  certain 
height  on  the  side  of  the  mound  the  view  extended  over  the 
valley  where  were  the  various  earthworks,  but  it  was  limited  by 
surrounding  hills  or  headlands.  The  summit,  however,  gave  a 
view  of  other  hills  beyond  these,  and  the  writer  was  convinced 
that  it  was  raised  to  this  height  in  order  that  signals  might  be 
exchanged  between  those  who  were  living  in  the  Miami  valley 
and  those  who  were  living  in  the  valley  west  of  it,  thus  showing 
that  the  White  River  and  the  Miami  River  were  included  in  one 
district.  Rev.  T.  J.  McLean  has  also  studied  out  the  signal 
stations  and  made  a  complete  net-work  of  them  throughout 
Butler  and  Hamilton  Counties,  Whether  this  system  of  signal 
stations  extended  beyond  the  district  which  we  are  now  describ 
ing  we  are  unable  to  say,  but  we  have  no  doubt  that  the  signal 
stations  were  used  by  the  village  people  who  erected  the  typical 
earth  works  of  Southern  Ohio.  Grave  Creek  mound  may  have 
been  one  of  the  signai  stations,  an  outwork  which  was  farthest 
to  the  east.  The  high  conical  mound  at  Marietta  was  another. 
The  high  conical  mound  at  Circleville  reached  the  height  of 
ninety  feet;  this  is  another  of  the  signal  stations  which  were  used 
by  the  village  Indians. 


MOJNfK'ri  MOUND  AT  CAHOKIA,  ILLINOIS. 


MONK'S  MOUND  IN  RELIEF. 


157 


CHAPTER  X. 


PYRAMIDAL  MOUNDS  IN  THE  GULF  STATES. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  localities  for  the  study  of  the  pre 
historic  monuments  of  this  country  is  the  one  which  is  found  on 
the  banks  of  Cahokia  Creek,  some  twelve  miles  from  the  City  of 
St.  Louis.  Here  the  largest  pyramid  mound  in  the  United  States 
is  to  be  seen,  and  with  it  many  other  mound  structures,  which 
are  as  curious  and  interesting  as  the  great  mound  itself.  It 
should  be  said  that  this  is  the  northernmost  point  at  which  any 
genuine  pyramid  mounds  of  the  southern  type  have  been  recog 
nized,  but  it  is  a  locality  in  which  all  the  peculiarities  of  that 
class  of  earth-works  are  exhibited.  There  is  certainly  a  great 
contrast  between  these  works  and  those  situated  in  the  northern 
districts;  but  the  fact  that  this  large  group  has  been  introduced 
into  the  midst  of  the  northern  class,  and  in  close  proximity  to 
many  specimens  of  that  class,  makes  the  contrast  all  the  more 
striking  and  instructive. 

It  has  been  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to  visit  the  various 
groups  scattered  along  the  Mississippi  River  from  its  head  waters 
to  this  point,  and  to  study  the  characteristics  of  each  group  as 
they  were  gradually  brought  before  the  eye.  The  contrasts  be 
tween  the  effigy  mounds  of  Wisconsin  and  the  burial  mounds 
of  Northern  Illinois  are  certainly  very  striking.  The  works  of 
serpent-worshipers  are,  to  be  sure,  intermingled  with  them,  but 
the  change  from  the  pyramidal  mounds  to  the  burial  mounds, 
makes  the  contrasts  all  the  more  impressive. 

The  conditions  of  life  in  the  different  parts  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  seemed  to  have  varied  according  to  the  climate,  soil  and 
scenery,  but  they  are  so  concentrated  into  a  narrow  compass  that 
one  may,  by  the  aid  of  steam  and  the  railroad  train,  pass  in  one 
day  from  the  midst  of  the  wild  savage  hunters  of  the  north  into 
the  very  midst  of  the  works  of  the  semi-civilized  agricultural 
people  of  the  south,  and  may  find  the  whole  panorama  of  the 
prehistoric  races  unrolled  and  the  whole  condition  of  society  in 
prehistoric  times  rapidly  brought  before  the  eyes.  Cahokia 
mound  is  at  first  disappointing  (see  Fig.  i),  for  it  is  not  as 
imposing  as  some  have  represented  it  to  be,  and  yet  the  con 
sciousness  that  a  great  population  once  swarmed  here  and  filled 
the  valley  with  a  teeming  life  made  the  spot  a  very  interesting 
one.  There  was  also  a  double  presence  which  was  forced  upon 


158 

the  mind — the  presence  of  those  who  since  the  beginning  of 
historic  times  have  visited  the  region  and  gazed  upon  this  very 
monument  and  written  descriptions  of  it,  one  after  the  ether, 
until  a  volume  of  literature  has  accumulated;  and  the  presence 
of  those  who  in  prehistoric  times  filled  the  valley  with  their 
works,  but  were  unable  to  make  any  record  of  themselves  ex 
cept  such  as  is  contained  in  these  silent  witnesses.  There  is, 
perhaps,  no  spot  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  which  has  been  oftener 
visited  by  distinguished  persons  and  no  monument  which  has 
oftener  gone  into  history.  Descriptions  of  it  began  as  early  as 
the  time  of  Marquette  and  the  French  missionaries;  they  appear 
again  in  the  time  of  Gen.  Rogers  Clark  and  the  conquest  of  the 
country  from  the  Indians ;  they  come  out  again  in  the  time  of 
the  early  explorers  and  travelers,  Brackenridge,  Latrobe  and 
others,  and  continue  to  the  present  day, — missionaries,  early 


.  1—Oahokia  Mound. 


travelers,  military  generals,  historians  and  modern  archaeologists 
vying  with  one  another  in  describing  the  scene.  We  shall  offer 
no  minute  description  of  our  own,  but  shall  quote  from  different 
travelers  who  have  visited  the  spot  and  who  have  seen  the  earth 
works  before  they  were  so  sadly  despoiled  by  the  aggressions  of 
modern  days.  Probably  not  one  fifth  of  the  mounds  and  earth 
works  which  formerly  covered  this  broad  valley,  and  which  also 
surmounted  the  bluffs  adjoining,  can  now  be  seen.  The  growth 
of  the  great  City  of  St.  Louis  has  destroyed  the  last  vestige  of 
the  large  group  which  could  once  be  seen  there,  and  all  of  the 
pyramids,  cones,  "falling  gardens,"  terraces  and  platforms,  which 
once  attracted  attention,  have  disappeared.  Twenty-seven  large 
mounds  once  stood  on  the  bluff,  making  it  memorable  as  the 
location  of  a  large  village,  which  was  similar  in  many  respects  to 
the  one  where  the  great  mound  now  stands,  but  they  have  been 
destroyed  and  can  not  now  be  studied. 

We  shall  go  back  for  our  descriptions  to  the  author  who  has 
given  the  earliest  and  fullest  account  —  J.  M.  Brackenridge.  He 
says:  "There  is  no  spot  in  the  western  country  capable  of  being 


159 

more  highly  cultivated  or  of  giving  support  to  a  numerous  pop 
ulation  than  this  valley.     If  any  vestige  of  ancient  population 
could  be  found,  this  would  be  the  place  to  search  for  it ;  accord 
ingly  this  tract,  as  also   the   tract   on   the  western  side  (Mound 
City,  now  St.  Louis),  exhibits  proof  of  an  immense  population. 
The  great  number  of  mounds  and  the  astonishing  quantity  of 
human  bones  dug  up  everywhere  or  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  with  a  thousand  other  appearances,  announce  that  this 
valley  was  at  one  time  filled  with  inhabitants  and  villages.     The 
whole  face  of  the  bluff  or  hill  which  bounds   it  on  the  east 
appears  to  have  been  a  continued  burying  ground.     But  the  most 
remarkable  appearances  are  the  two  groups  of  mounds  or  pyra 
mids — the  one  about  ten  miles  above  Cahokia  (a  village  nearly 
extinct),  the  other  nearly  the  same  distance  below  it — which  in 
all  exceed  in  number  one  hundred  and  fifty  mounds  of  various 
sizes.     (See  map.)     The  western  side  (St.  Louis)  also  contains  a 
considerable  number.     A  more  minute  description  of  those  above 
Cahokia,  which  I  visited   ini8u,will  give  a  tolerable  idea  of 
them  all.     I  crossed  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Louis.     After  passing 
through  the  wood  which  borders  the  river,  about  half  a  mile  in 
width,  I  entered  on  an  extensive  plain  and  found  myself  in  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  mounds,  at  a  distance  resembling  enormous 
hay-stacks   scattered  through   a   meadow.     One  of  the  largest, 
which  I  ascended,  was  about  two  hundred  paces  in  circumference 
at  the  bottom.     The  form  was  nearly  square,  though  it  had  evi 
dently  undergone  some  alterations  by  the  washings  of  the  rains. 
The  top  was  level,  with  an  area  sufficient  to  contain  several 
hundred  men.     The  prospect  from  the  mound  was  very  beautiful. 
Looking  toward  the  blurts,  which  are  dimly  seen  at  a  distance  of 
six  or  eight  miles,  the  bottoms  at  this  place  being  very  wide,  I 
had  a  level  plain  before   me,  bounded  by  islets  of  wood  and  a 
few  solitary  trees ;  to  the  right  (the  south)  the  prairie  is  bounded 
by  the  horizon;  to  the  left  the  course  of  the  Cahokia  River  may 
be  distinguished  by  the  margin  of  wood  upon  its  banks.    Around 
me   I   counted  forty-five  mounds   or  pyramids,  beside  a  great 
number  of  small  artificial  elevations.     These  mounds  form  some 
thing  more  than  a  semi-circle  a  mile  in  extent,  to  the  open  space 
on  the  river.     Pursuing  my  walk  along  the  bank  of  the  Cahokia 
I  passed  eight  others  in  a  distance  of  three  miles  before  I  arrived 
at  the  largest  assemblage.     When   I   reached  the  foot  of  the 
principal  mound,  I  was   struck  with  a  degree  of  astonishment 
not    unlike   that   which    is    experienced  in   contemplating   the 
Egyptian  pyramids.     What  a  stupendous  pile  of  earth !      To- 
heap  up  such  a  mass  must  have  required  years  and  the  labor  oi 
thousands.     Were  it  not  for  the  regularity   and  design  manifest, 
the  circumstance  of   its  being  alluvial   ground,  and  the  other 
mounds  scattered  around  it,  we  would  scarcely  believe  it  to  be 
the  work  of  human  hands."     Brackenridge  also  says:  "The  shape 


160 

is  a  parallelogram,  standing  north  and  south.  On  the  south  side 
there  is  a  broad  apron  or  step,  and  from  this  another  projection 
into  the  plain  which  was  probably  intended  as  an  ascent  to  the 
mound.  The  step  or  terrace  has  been  used  fora  kitchen  garden 
by  some  monks  of  LaTrappe  settled  near  this,  and  the  top  of 
the  structure  is  sown  in  wheat.  Nearly  west  was  another  of 
smaller  size,  and  forty  others  were  scattered  about  on  the  plain. 
Two  were  seen  on  the  bluff  at  a  distance  of  three  miles.  I  every 
where  observed  a  great  number  of  smaller  elevations  at  regular 
distances  from  each  other,  and  which  appeared  to  observe  some 
order.  I  concluded  that  a  populous  city  had  once  existed  here, 
similar  to  those  of  Mexico  described  by  the  first  conqueror.  The 
mounds  were  sites  of  temples  or  monuments  of  great  size." 

We  have  given  the  quotation  for  the  sake  of  showing  the 
impressions  which  were  formed  by  the  works  when  they  were 
first  visited  and  when  the  country  was  in  its  native  wildness,  with 
no  work  of  modern  civilization  to  mar  the  scene.  It  will  be 
learned  from  the  description  that  there  were  at  the  time  several 
large  groups  of  mounds — one  situated  on  the  bluffs  where  St. 
Louis  now  stands;  another  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
not  far  from  the  present  site  of  East  St.  Louis;  a  third  on  the 
bottom  lands,  about  ten  miles  below  the  old  village  of  Cahokia; 
the  fourth  about  ten  miles  above  the  old  village,  which  is  the 
group  in  which  we  are  especially  interested.*  We  speak  of  this 
because  there  has  been  a  general  impression  that  the  celebrated 
"Cahokia"  mound,  or  more  properly  "Monk's"  mound,  is  a 
solitary  pyramid,  and  that  it  has  no  connection  with  any  of  the 
works  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Brackenridge  unconsciously  corrects 
this  impression,  for  according  to  his  description  the  works  of  the 
entire  region  were  all  of  them  of  the  same  class,  the  majority  of 
them  having  been  truncated  pyramids.  It  should  be  said  that 
there  are  lookout  mounds  at  various  points  on  the  bluffs,  which 
command  extensive  views  across  the  country  into  the  interior, 
and  which  must  also  have  served  as  beacons  or  signal  stations 
for  the  villages  which  were  scattered  throughout  the  bottom 
lands.  Two  of  these  are  mentioned  by  Mr.  Brackenridge  as  in 
plain  sight  from  Monk's  mound.  One  of  these  is  now  called 
"  Sugar  Loaf."  It  forms  a  prominent  mark  in  the  landscape,  as 
its  towering  height  can  be  seen  at  a  great  distance.  So  favora 
ble  was  the  mound  as  an  observatory  that  the  Coast  Survey  took 
advantage  of  it  and  made  it  a  station  for  triangulating.  Our 
conclusion  is  that  the  whole  system  of  works  on  the  great 
American  bottoms  was  connected  together,  and  that  here  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  a  colony  resembling  the  race  of  southern 

•Mr.  McAdams  says  there  is  a  group  at  Mitchell  Station,  half  way  between  St. 
Louis  and  Alton,  which  contains  several  large  platforms,  one  of  them  measuring  300 
feet  on  the  side,  30  feet  high.  This  mound  was  excavated  for  four  railroad  tracks 
and  many  relics  taken  out — copper  spools,  awls,  needles  and  an  ornament  resembling 
the  shell  ot  a  turtle,  and  most  Important,  the  teeth  of  a  buffalo. 


161 

mound-builders  had  long  made  their  home,  but  were  driven  off 
at  some  time  preceding  the  date  of  history  by  the  hunter  tribes, 
who  came  down  upon  them  from  the  north.* 

We  here  make  a  record  of  an  observation  which  amounts  to 
a  new  discovery,  It  was  noticed  by  the  writer  as  he  ascended 
the  great  mound  that  it  was  in  the  midst  of  a  large  group  of 
similar  mounds;  that  the  mounds  surrounding  it  were  arranged 
in  pairs — a  conical  mound  and  a  pyramid  constituting  a  pair — 
and  that  each  one  of  these  separate  pairs  was  placed  on  lines 
which  are  parallel  to  the  sides  of  the  great  pyramid,  and  that 
they  were  all  orientated,  the  sides  always  facing  the  points  of 
the  compass.  It  was  noticed  also  that  in  some  cases  the  ground 
was  raised  between  the  truncated  pyramid  and  the  conical  mound, 
giving  the  idea  that  there  may  have  been  here  a  chunky  yard  or 
play-ground,  the  same  as  there  was  between  the  public  squares 
and  the  rotundas,  which  have  been  described  by  Adair  and 
Bartram  as  common  in  the  villages  of  the  southern  Indians.  In 
one  case,  about  half  a  mile  to  the  east  of  the  great  pyramid,  there 
was  a  high  platform  or  pyramidal  mound,  and  immediately  ad 
joining  it  on  the  north  was  a  large  platform,  but  at  a  lower  level 
and  on  the  northeast  corner  of  this  platform,  was  a  large  conical 
mound,  the  three  parts  being  in  close  proximity,  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  three  reminding  one  of  the  relative  location  of  some 
of  the  so-called  sacred  enclosures  of  Ohio,  where  a  large  circle 
intervenes  between  a  small  circle  and  a  large  square  enclosure, 
the  three  being  joined  together  by  protecting  walls.  This  dis 
covery  of  the  peculiar  grouping  of  the  surrounding  mounds  was 
made  while  looking  down  upon  the  scene.  A  very  beautiful  pair 
of  earth-works  stands  immediately  south  of  the  great  pyramid, 
each  one  presenting  its  sides  covered  with  varied  foliage,  the 
golden  autumnal  tints  being  set-off  against  the  silvery  radiance 
of  the  little  artificial  lake  which  lay  in  the  background.  The 
size  of  the  pyramids  adjoining  the  great  pyramid  can  be  learned 
from  the  circumstance  that  nearly  all  of  the  large  farm-houses  in 
the  region  are  built  upon  the  summits,  the  pyramids  being  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  houses,  with  their  out-houses,  barns, 
lawns  and  other  conveniences  of  residence.  One  of  these,  the  one 
at  the  west  had  been  gradedjdown  about^  eight  feet,  but  others 
were  left  at  their  natural  height.  The  houses  are  arranged  along 
the  sides  of  the  common  highway,  which  here  constitutes  the 
line  between  two  counties,  the  distance  from  one  end  of  the 
group  to  the  other  being  about  three  miles  from  east  to  west,  and 
two  miles  from  north  to  south.  The  arrangement  of  the  group 

*Ree  Antiquities  of  Monk's  Mound,  published  by  W.  R.  Brink,  Edwardsville,  111., 
1883:  Foster's  Prehistoric  Races,  p.  107:  Ancient  Monuments,  p.  174;  Twelfth  Report 
Peabody  Museum,  p.  472.  It  should  be  said  that  the  mound  which  Dr.  J.  H.  Foster 
describes  as  having  been  removed  was  situated  at  Cahokia,  and  in  that  vicinity  still 
goes  by  the  name  of  the  great  Cahokia  mound.  We  judge  that  this  mound  had  a 
tower  or  conical  mound  on  its  summit  10  feet  high,  which,  on  exploration,  yielded 
human  bones,  funeral  vases  and  various  implements. 


162 

is  peculiar.  There  are  pyramids  and  conical  mounds  close  by 
the  side  of  the  great  pyramid;  beyond  these  are  similar  works, 
making  several  pairs  east  and  west  and  several  pairs  north  and 
south  of  the  great  pyramid,  all  of  them  arranged  with  their 
sides  facing  the  sides  of  the  central  pyramid,  and  all  of  them 
overlooked  by  its  towering  height.  There  are  also  many  arti 
ficial  ponds,  whose  waters  glisten  beneath  the  dark  shadows  of 
the  many  earth-works,  making  a  varied  scene. 

2.  As  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the  great  mound,  we  shall  give 
the  descriptions  of  others,  for  the  reason  that  many  of  them  have 
had  better  opportunities  for  observing  and  measuring  them  than 
we  have.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that  the  descriptions  which 
have  been  written  so  vary  in  their  details  that  we  are  uncertain 
which  account  to  believe. 

Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  the  mound,  but  seem  to  have  given 
the  wrong  dimensions.  They  say  :  "  It  covers  not  far  from  eight 
acres ;  its  summit  has  an  area  of  about  five  acres  ;  its  solid  con 
tents  may  be  roughly  estimated  at  20,000,000  cubic  feet.  It  is 
nearly  ninety  feet  high,  is  built  in  terraces,  and  is  reached  by  a 
graded  way  which  passes  up  at  the  south  end." 

Mr.  William  McAdams  says:  "  We  have  surveyed  the  group, 
and  found  that  the  great  pyramid  is  surrounded  by  seventy-two 
others  of  considerable  size  within  a  distance  of  two  miles.  The 
largest  axis  of  the  pyramid  is  998  feet,  the  shortest  is  721  feet, 
and  it  covers  sixteen  acres,  two  rods  and  three  perches  of  ground. 
He  says  :  "  After  many  days  of  exploration  and  study,  we  believe 
the  evidence  to  prove  this  to  be  a  group  of  the  greatest  mounds 
on  this  continent  and  perhaps  in  the  world,  and  possibly  this  was 
the  Mecca  or  great  central  shrine  of  the  moimd-builders'  empire. 
Upon  the  flat  summit  of  the  pyramid,  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  plain,  were  their  sanctuaries,  glittering  with  barbaric  splendor, 
and  where  could  be  seen  from  afar  the  smoke  and  flames  of  the 
eternal  fire,  their  emblem  of  the  sun." 

Prof.  Putnam  says  :  "  Situated  in  the  midst  ot  a  group  of  about 
sixty  mounds  of  more  than  ordinary  size,  several  in  the  vicinity 
being  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  of  various  forms, 
Cahokia  mound,  rising  by  four  platforms  or  terraces  to  a  height 
of  about  one  hundred  feet,  and  covering  an  area  of  about  twelve 
acres,  holds  a  relation  to  the  other  tumuli  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  similar  to  that  of  the  great  pyramid  of  Egypt  to  the  other 
monuments  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile."  Dr.  J.  J.  R.  Patrick,  re 
siding  in  the  vicinity,  has  made  a  survey  of  the  group  and  pre 
pared  two  accurate  models  of  the  mound  itself — one  of  them 
representing  the  mound  as  it  now  exists. 

Featherstonaugh  visited  the  mound  in  1844,  and  says  that  the 
settlement  of  the  monks  was  on  a  smaller  mound  to  the  west, 
but  at  the  time  of  his  visit  the  building  in  which  they  had  lived 
had  been  leveled  with  the  ground.  He  also  states  that  a  Mr. 


163 

Hill  was  living  in  a  house  he  had  erected  on  the  top  of  the  great 
mound;  that  upon  digging  for  the  foundation,  "he  found  large 
human  bones,  with  Indian  pottery,  stone  axes  and  tomahawks." 
We  judge  from  Brackenridge's  account  that  there  was  no  road 
way  to  the  summit  in  his  time,  but  that  the  one  which  now 
appears  must  have  been  made  by  Mr,  Hill,  the  owner,  and  that 
the  well  which  is  now  in  ruins  was  dug  by  him.* 

In  reference  to  the  present  condition  of  the  mound,  we  have 
to  say  that  an  air  of  waste  and  ruin  surrounds  it ;  deep  gullies 
are  worn  into  its  sides,  and  it  seems  to  be  wrinkled  and  ridged 
with  the  marks  of  its  great  age.  See  Plate  I.  Though  sur 
rounded  by  many  other  structures,  on  which  there  are  signs  of 
modern  life,  this"  seems  to  be  deserted.  The  very  house  which 
was  found  upon  its  summit  has  been  leveled  to  the  ground,  and 
the  home  of  the  present  owner,  situated  a  little  to  the  rear  of  it, 
seems  to  hide  itself  in  the  shadows  of  the  great  monster.  It 
stands  like  a  solemn  monarch,  lonely  in  its  grandeur,  but  impos 
ing  in  its  presence.  Though  the  smoke  of  the  great  city  may 
be  seen  in  the  distance,  and  many  trains  go  rumbling  across  the 
valley  and  through  the  great  bridge  which  spans  the  river,  yet 
this  monster  mound  stands  as  a  mute  witness  of  a  people  which 
has  passed  away.  It  is  a  silent  statue,  a  sphinx,  which  still 
keeps  within  its  depths  the  mystery  which  no  one  has  as  yet 
fathomed.  It  perpetuates  the  riddle  of  the  sphinx. 

3.  As  to  archaeological  relics.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  spot 
continues  to  yield  such  an  amount  of  them  after  so  many  years  of 
exploration  and  curiosity  hunting.  In  the  field  adjoining  one 
may  find  beautiful  fragments  of  pottery,  some  of  which  bear  the 
glaze  and  red  color  which  formerly  characterized  the  pottery  of 
the  Natchez  Indians.  There  are  also  vast  quantities  of  bones 
hidden  beneath  the  surface,  and  one  can  scarcely  strike  a  spade 
through  the  soil  without  unearthing  some  token  of  the  prehis 
toric  races.  Mr.  Ramey,  the  owner  of  the  mound,  speaks  about 
digging  in  one  part  of  the  field  and  finding  heaps  of  bones  eight 
feet  deep,  and  says  that  the  bones  are  everywhere  present.  The 
workmen  who  were  engaged  in  digging  ditches  for  underdraining 
had  a  few  days  before  come  upon  large  quantities  of  pottery  and 
skeletons  of  large  size,  but  had  carelessly  broken  them  instead 
of  preserving  them.  As  to  the  character  of  the  pottery  and  the 
patterns  contained  in  them,  we  notice  some  remarkable  resem 
blances  between  the  pieces  exnumed.here  and  those  which  are 
found  in  the  stone  graves  of  Tennessee.  One  specimen  was 

*A  well  was  dug  by  Mr.  Hill.  This  well  was  eighty  feet  deep.  At  sixty  feet  they 
found  fragments  of  pottery  and  corn  carbonized  and  bones.  The  water  from  the  well 
was  never  used,  as  it  always  had  a  peculiar  taste,  and  the  supposition  was  that  hu 
man  bodies  were  buried  in  the  mound.  The  cellar  dug  by  Mr  Hill  showed  the 
moSnd  to  be  stratified.  An  excavation  by  Mr.  Ramey,  on  the  north  side,  revealed 
the  same.  A  piece  of  lead  or  galena  was  found  at  the  end  of  the  tunnel,  which  ex 
tended  about  fifteen  feet  in  towards  the  center  of  the  mound.  McAdams  says  the 
area  on  the  top  is  an  acre  and  a  half. 


164 

especially  interesting.  It  represented  a  squirrel  holding  in  its 
paws  a  stick,  the  teeth  placed  around  the  stick  as  if  gnawing  it, 
the  whole  making  a  handle  to  the  vessel.  We  noticed  also  a 
frog-shaped  pipe  made  from  sand-stone,  and  many  other  animal- 
shaped  and  bird-shaped  figures.  The  object  which  impressed 
us  most  was  a  sand-stone  tablet,  which  contained  figures  very 
much  like  those  found  upon  the  inscribed  tablets  taken  from  one 
of  the  mounds  of  the  Etowah  group  in  Georgia.  It  was  evident 
that  this  tablet  was  covered  with  a  mysterious  symbolism,  and 
suggested  the  thought  that  the  same  people  who  erected  the 
southern  pyramids,  and  who  embodied  in  them  the  various  sym 
bols  of  sun-worship,  also  erected  here  these  great  mounds  under 
the  influence  of  the  same  powerful  religious  cult.  What  that 
cult  was,  we  shall  not  undertake  to  describe,  but  it  was  undoubt- 


F'nj.  J.—Big  Mound  at  St.  Louis. 

edly  a  superstition  which  held  under  its  control  the  entire  people 
and  led  them  to  erect  these  great  monument  even  at  the  expense 
of  long  and  protracted  labor. 

4.  In  reference  to  the  symbolism  which  was  embodied  in  this 
great  work,  we  may  say  that  the  terraces  are  four  in  number,  the 
first,  second  and  third  being  about  thirty  feet  in  height,  the  fourth 
being  at  present  but  about  jour  feet,  though  it  has  been  reduced 
from  its  original  height.  The  terraces  seem  to  cut  across  the 
whole  face  of  the  great  pyramid  on  the  south  and  west  sides, 
but  the  north  and  east  sides  are  steep  and  inaccessible.  There 
is  a  striking  analogy  between  this  pyramid  and  the  one  at  Copan 
in  Central  America.  See  Fig.  I.  There  is  also  the  same  method 
of  orientating  the  pyramids  here  and  in  Central  America  that  is 
found  in  ancient  Chaldea  and  Assyria,  though  here  the  sides  are 


MONK'S  MOUND  IN  BELIEF. 


165 

toward  the  points  of  the  compass  rather  than  the  angles.  The 
pyramids  are  built  in  stages,  though  there  are  here  only  tour 
platforms;  in  Chaldea  there  are  seven.  Our  conviction  is  that  a 
race  of  sun-worshipers  occupied  this  region,  but  it  was  a  race 
which  differed  materially  from  the  serpent-worshipers  which 
dwelt  immediately  north  of  them  and  whose  effigies  we  have 
recently  discovered.  We  are  aware  that  Mr.  McAdams  believes 
that  the  dragon  was  symbolized  in  some  of  the  molded  pottery 
and  that  the  famous  image  of  the  Piassa,  which  formerly  was  to 
be  seen  on  the  face  of  the  rocks  near  Alton,  belonged  to  the 
same  people  who  erected  these  pyramids.  He  also  says  :  "As  he 
looked  down  from  the  conical  mound  south  of  the  great  pyramid 
upon  the  pond  which  lies  below,  he  seemed  to  be  looking  into 
the  ever-present  eye  of  the  Manitou  that  had  glared  at  him  from 
the  bluffs  and  caverns,  and  which  is  so  common  on  ancient  pot 
tery,  the  oldest  symbol  in  the  world."  We  are  free  to  say  that 
the  pond  does  have  a  remarkable  resemblance  in  its  general  con 
tour  to  the  symbol  which  is  composed  of  eyes  and  nose,  and 
and  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  significant  of  the  face  of  the 
sun  and  at  the  same  time  contained  the  phallic  symbol. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  pyramid  mounds  were  built  for  a 
people  who  differed  very  materially  from  the  wild  Indians  who 
roamed  over  the  northern  districts,  as  their  tribal  organizations 
and  wild  condition  did  not  admit  of  the  social  grades  which  are 
apparent  here.  Still  it  is  worthy  of  mention  that  a  Kaskaskia 
chief  told  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clarke  that  it  was  the  palace  of 
his  forefathers,  that  "the  little  mountain  we  saw  there  flung  up 
with  a  basin  on  top  was  a  tower  that  contained  a  part  of  the 
guard  belonging  to  the  prince,  as  from  the  top  of  that  height 
they  can  defend  the  king's  house  with  their  arrows." 

When  the  Indian  tribes  were  visited  by  Ferdinand  De  Soto,  he 
found  the  whole  territory  filled  with  walled  towns.  Sometimes 
they  contained  a  population  of  several  thousand  inhabitants,  and 
they  were  surrounded  by  palisades  and  protected  by  gateways. 
The  house  of  the  chief  or  sachem  of  the  tribe  was  often  built 
upon  an  artificial  mound,  and  so-called  temples  or  altars  of  wor 
ship  were  built  upon  raised  foundations  of  earth.  Some  writers 
describe  these  mounds  as  -the  places  of  burial  for  their  'dead 
chieftans  ;  but  others  as  the  residences  of  the  chief  or  brother  of 
the  sun ;  and  by  others  it  is  stated  that  the  house  of  the  great 
sun  stood  upon  one  mound  and  the  temple  of  the  priest  was  on 
another  mound — both  of  the  same  height.  %  Here,  however,  we 
have  not  only  the  residences  of  the  chiefs  and  priests,  which 
were  undoubtedly  erected  on  the  summit  of  the  mounds,  but  we 
have  in  the  center  of  them  all  the  great  temple.  It  is  probable 
that  this  was  the  assembly  place  of  the  tribe,  and  that  there  was 
a  building  which  corresponded  to  the  "long  house"  of  the  Indians 
and  the  capitol  of  the  white  man,  and  that  the  different  pyramids 


166 

were  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  chiefs  and  ruling  men 
of  the  clans  which  may  have  lived  here.  The  whole  structure 
was  significant  of  the  grades  of  society  which  probably  existed 
among  the  people. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  mounds  formerly  at  St.  Louis.  These 
mounds  were  in  some  respects  fully  as  interesting  as  those  at 
Cahokia  Creek.  The  peculiarities  of  the  group  were  as  fol 
lows:  i.  They  were  arranged  in  a  line  along  the  second  terrace 
parallel  with  the  river  and  in  full  sight  of  the  stream  itself.  2. 
There  was  in  the  center  of  the  line  a  group  which  was  in  the 
form  of  an  amphitheater,  the  back  part  of  the  group  forming  a 
graceful  curve,  but  the  front  part  being  flanked  by  a  pyramid  on 
one  side  and  the  falling  gardens  on  the  other.  3.  Several  of 
the  mounds  were  terraced,  the  terraces  all  being  on  the  east  and 


Fig.  S.—Map  of  Works  at  St.  Louis. 

so  situated  as  to  give  a  good  view  of  the  river.  4.  The  big 
mound,  concerning  which  so  much  has  been  said,  was  located  at 
the  extreme  north  of  the  line.  This  seems  to  have  been  attended 
by  a  series  of  irregular  pyramids,  all  of  them  of  large  size  and 
on  high  ground,  so  making  the  entire  series  to  resemble  the 
great  terraced  villages  of  the  west,  the  pyramids  being  arranged 
in  banks  or  steps  along  the  entire  bluft. 

The  arrangement  of  the  pyramids  deserves  attention.  This 
seems  to  have  varied  according  to  the  situation.  Those  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Monk's  mound  extend  nearly  three  miles  in  one 
direction  and  two  in  another,  but  the  great  mound  occupies  the 
center  and  overlooks  the  whole  series.  Cahokia  Creek  flows 
just  north  of  the  great  mound  and  divides  the  group,  several 
mounds  being  north  of  the  creek.  The  group  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  near  East  St.  Louis,  according  to  the  descriptions 
given  of  it  by  Brackenridge,  was  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent, 


167 

which  opened  upon  the  river.  This  group  was  formerly  situated 
where  the  business  part  of  St.  Louis  now  stands.  It  was  ar 
ranged  along  the  edge  of  the  terrace  for  the  space  of  about 
three  quarters  of  a  mile.  In  the  center  of  the  line  was  a  group 
containing  several  pyramids,  arranged  about  an  open  area,  a 
pyramid  at  either  side,  the  falling  garden  being  situated  at  an 
angle  of  the  area.  The  whole  group  was  so  arranged  that  a 
view  of  the  river  could  be  obtained  from  the  summit  of  each 
pyramid.  The  group  was  in  a  sightly  place,  and  commanded 
a  view  in  all  directions.  See  Fig.  3, 

Brackenridge  describes  this  group  as  follows:  "It  is  situated 
on  the  second  bank  and  disposed  in  a  singular  manner.  They 
are  nine  in  all,  and  form  three  sides  of  a  parallelogram,  the  open 
side  toward  the  country  being  protected  by  three  smaller 
mounds  placed  in  a  circular  manner.  The  space  enclosed  is 
about  300  yards  in  length  and  200  in  breadth.  About  600 
yards  above  this  is  a  single  mound,  with  a  broad  stage  on  the 
river  side.  It  is  30  feet  in  height,  150  in  length  ;  the  top  is  a 
mere  ridge  5  or  6  feet  wide.  Below  the  first  mound  is  a  curious 
work  called  the  'falling  garden.'  Advantage  is  taken  of  the 
second  bank,  nearly  50  feet  in  height  at  this  place,  and  three 
regular  stages  or  steps  are  found.  This  work  is  much  admired. 
It.suggests  the  idea  of  a  place  of  assembly  for  the  purpose  of 
counseling  on  public  occasions."  Mr.  A.  C.  Conant  says  that 
the  "big  mound"  which  once  stood  at  the  corner  of  Mound 
street  and  Broadway  is  the  terraced  mound  represented  by  Mr. 
Brackenridge  as  located  600  yards  north  of  the  main  group. 
He  says  there  were  formerly  many  other  mounds  in  the  vicinity 
of  St.  Louis,  rivalling  in  magnitude  and  interest  those  just 
described.  The  second  terrace  of  the  Mississippi,  upon  almost 
every  landing  point,  was  furnished  with  them.  The  "big 
mound"  was  destroyed  in.  1869.  It  was  found  to  contain  a 
sepulchral  chamber,  which  was  about  72  feet  in  length,  8  to  12 
feet  wide,  and  8  to  10  feet  in  height;  the  walls  sloping  and 
plastered,  as  the  marks  of  the  plastering  tool  could  be  plainly 
seen.  Twenty-four  bodies  were  placed  upon  the  floor  of  the 
vault,  a  few  feet  apart,  with  their  feet  toward  the  west,  the 
bodies  arranged  in  a  line  with  the  longest  axis;  a  number  of 
bone  beads  and  shells,  sea  shells,  drilled  with  small  holes,  near 
the  head,  in  quantities  "sufficient  to  cover  each  body  from  the 
thighs  to  the  head." 

We  call  attention  to  the  arrangement  of  the  terraces  in  this 
group.  They  seem  to  be  directed  toward  the  east  or  the  river 
side,  and  commanded  a  view  of  the  river  and  of  the  mounds 
upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

Mr.  Say  says:  "Tumuli  and  other  remains  are  remarkably 
numerous  about  St.  Louis.  Those  immediately  northward  of 
the  town  are  twenty-seven  in  number,  arranged  nearly  in  a  line 
from  north  to  south.  The  common  form  is  an  oblong  square, 


168 

and  they  all  stand  on  the  second  bank  of  the  river.  It  seems 
probable  that  these  piles  of  earth  were  raised  as  cemeteries,  or 
they  may  have  supported  altars  for  religious  ceremonies.  We 
can  not  conceive  any  useful  purpose  to  which  they  could  have 
been  applicable  in  war,  unless  as  elevated  stations  from  which 
to  observe  the  motions  of  an  approaching  enemy.  Nothing 
like  a  ditch  or  an  embankment  is  to  be  seen  about  any  part  of 
these  works."  This  remark  about  the  "elevated  stations"  is  a 
suggestive  one.  It  may  be  that  the  people  assembled  upon 
these  terraces  to  observe  the  scene  sprerd  out  before  them,  a 
scene  which  abounded  with  peaceable  pursuits.  The  valley 
was  covered  with  a  teeming  population,  large  canoes  were 
passing  to  and  fro  upon  the  river,  villages  were  scattered  over 
the  rich  bottom  land  in  every  direction,  the  pyramids  on  which 
the  chiefs  had  built  their  houses  loomed  up  in  the  midst  of  the 
ordinary  houses  in  the  villages,  the  lofty  towers  or  lookouts  on 
the  bluffs,  surmounted  by  sentinels  or  watchmen,  were  covered 
with  beacon  fires  by  night  or  with  smoking  signals  by  day, 
while  in  the  midst  of  the  scene  the  great  mound  stood  as  ^ 
gigantic  temple,  with  its  terraces  covered  with  the  troops  of 
superstitious  people,  who  assembled  there  to  protect  the  shrine 
on  the  summit.  Above  this  the  smoke  from  the  sacred  fires 
arose  in  a  spiral  into  the  face  of  the  sun.  It  was  a  scene  sug 
gestive  of  busy  life,  but  there  was  a  strange  superstition  which 
pervaded  everything,  filling  the  air  with  its  awe-inspiring  effect, 
the  sun  being  the  great  divinitv  worshiped  by  the  entire  people 
— its  rising  being  met  by  adoration  from  morning  to  morning, 
and  its  course  watched  by  those  who  regarded  it  as  a  divinity. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  celebrated  picture  rocks  which 
Marquette  describes  as  having  been  seen  by  his  party,  of  which 
the  natives  seemed  to  be  in  mortal  fear,  were  situated  not  far 
from  this  spot.  These  pictures  have  given  rise  to  many  strange 
stories.  It  is  said  that  they  were  in  the  shape  of  huge  animals, 
with  human  faces,  horns  issuing  from  the  head,  wings  sur 
mounting  the  body,  all  parts  of  the  animal  kingdom  being 
mingled  into  one  hideous-looking  creature.  It  is  said  also  that 
there  are  caves  in  various  localities,  hidden  away  among  the 
rocks.  The  bluffs  surrounding  the  valley  are  strangely  con 
torted.  The  lakes  and  ponds  in  the  midst  of  the  valley  had 
formerly  a  wild,  strange  air  about  them.  Agriculture  was  fol 
lowed  here,  for  agricultural  tools  have  been  taken  from  the 
ground  in  great  numbers,  but  it  was  agriculture  carried  on  in 
the  midst  of  wild  scenes.  There  must  haue  been  a  -dense  pop 
ulation,  for  it  is  said  that  the  plow  everywhere  turns  up  bones 
in  great  numbers,  and  the  sides  of  the  bluffs  are  filled  with 
graves,  in  which  many  prehistoric  relics  have  been  found.  There 
is  no  place  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  where  so  many  evidences 
of  the  strange  life  and  strange  superstitions  which  prevailed  in 
prehistoric  times  are  found. 


169 


LIST  OF  MOUNDS  FORMERLY  ON  THE  SITE  OF  ST.  LOUIS. 

The  following  table,  which  was  taken  from  the  survey  made  by  Long's 
expedition,*  and  which  is  probably  correctly  given,  will  show  the  dimen 
sions  and  grouping  of  the  pyramids,  conical  mounds  and  falling  gardens. 
The  big  mound  is  the  one  farthest  north  in  the  group. 


NO. 

SHAPE. 

DISTANCE. 

Diam.Base. 

TOP. 

Height. 

REMARKS. 

"Spanish  Bastion" 

2 

Hollow  Sciuare 

N  259 

50 

5 

3 

Oblong  Sciuare 

N  115. 

114x50 

80 

4 

Oblong  Square 

N  251. 

84 

45 

4 

5 

Oblong  Square 

W.  155 

81 

35 

4 

flstT. 

87 

19 

6 

Falling  Gardens  .'.. 

\  2d  T. 

51 

30 

1  3d  T. 

30 

34 

Top  11  4x88,  5  ft.  high 

7 

(Conical         

N.  95. 

83 

34 

above  the  bluff. 

8 

Conical       

N.  94. 

98 

31 

r? 

9 

Conical  .       

N-  70. 

114 

56 

16 

10 

Conical  

N.  74. 

91 

34 

10 

11 
I9 

Square  on  the  slope 
Square  

N.  158. 
W.  30. 

179 
129 

107 
50 

5 
10 

East  side  20  ft.  high. 

13 

Parallelogram 

W  30 

214x188 

134x97 

12 

Distant  from  No    5 

11 

Convex 

W  55 

95 

50 

250  feet 

15 

Square 

N  W  117 

70 

4 

16 

Square 

N  E  103 

124 

16,  17,  18  and  19  are 

17 

10 

Square  

N.  78. 
N  E  118 

82 

77 





on  a  curve. 

19 

Quadrangular.     .  .. 

E.N.E.70 

187 

68 

23 

484  ft.  N.N.W.  of  13. 

?0 

Round    

20 

2 

25 

317  ft.  W.  of  No.  16. 

00 

Quadrangular 

W  329 

73 

12 

23  24  25  and  26  in  a 

Irregular  

N.  246. 

89 

12 

line,  245  ft.  N.  of  22 

27 

"Big  Mound" 

319x158 

136x90 

34 

N  N  W  of  19  1463  ft 

Top  1  1  feet  wide. 
Terrace    79    feet 
wide. 

*See  Smithsonian  Report,  1861,  p.  387. 

LIST  OF  LARGE  MOUNDS  NEAR  EVANSVILLE,  IND. 


NO. 

SHAPE. 

Circumference  Base, 

Diameter  of  Top. 

HEIGHT. 

1 

585 

100 

15 

O 

Conical 

150 

g 

3 
4 

Truncated  North  
Altar                          120  feet 

402 
3x2 

60 

20 
14  inches 

5 

Conical           East. 

150 

4 

6 

Terraced  East  
Terrace  

1200 

150x55 
185 

50 
45 

Additional  Mound  

15 

7 

Conical  East  

90 

10 

Bastion  Wall 

1  Mile 

2i 

8* 

Conical        Half  mile  N  E 

492 

50 

The  group  of  mounds  is  surrounded  by  the  bastion  wall.  There  are 
mound-like  widenings  on  the  outer  edge,  120  feet  apart.  Graves  walled 
with  slate  are  numerous.  One  cist  was  8  feet  long,  4  feet  long  and  4  deep. — 
Dr.  Floyd  Stinson,  Evansville,  Ind.,  Smithsonian  Report,  1881. 


170 

III.  We  take  up  the  comparison  between  the  pyramids.  It 
will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  general  resemblance,  both  in  the 
shape  of  the  individual  pyramids  and  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
pyramids  in  the  groups.  Here  at  St.  Louis  one  group  has  a  great 
mound  in  the  center  with  the  other  mounds  around  it;  the  other 
group  has  an  open  area  in  the  center  and  the  pyramids  placed 
at  the  sides  of  the  area,  as  if  to  guard  it  and  make  it  a  place  of 
assembly.* 

We  first  turn  to  the  comparison  of  the  northern  mounds  with 
the  pyramidal  mounds  in  the  Southern  States,  and  are  to  notice 
the  resemblances.  The  number  and  location  of  these  pyramids 
are  at  present  somewhat  uncertain,  but  they  seem  to  have  been 
distributed  throughout  the  entire  region  covered  by  the  Gulf 
States.  They  are  numerous  in  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Georgia 
and  Alabama.  A  modified  form  of  pyramid,  not  so  large  nor  so 
well  made,  is  found  also  among  the  stone  graves  of  Middle  Ten 
nessee,  as  well  as  among  the  lodge  circles  of  Arkansas.  Trun 
cated  pyramids,  or  rather  platform  mounds,  are  common  also 
throughout  the  southern  part  of  Ohio,  though  they  are  not 
pyramids  in  any  proper  sense  of  the  word.  Still,  if  we  take  the 
shape  as  a  standard,  and  consider  the  platform  mounds  having 
graded  ways  as  one  type  of  pyramid,  we  should  find  that  the 
distribution  of  the  pyramidal  mounds  was  very  extensive,  There 
was  formerly  an  elevated  square  or  platform  mound  at  Martin's 
Ferry,  near  Wheeling,  and  in  connection  with  it  a  conical  mound, 
the  two  reminding  us  of  the  rotunda  and  public  square  of  the 
Cherokees.  This  is  the  easternmost  point  where  such  works  have 
been  seen.  The  westernmost  limit  of  mounds  of  this  pyramidal 
type  cannot  be  determined,  yet  it  seems  that  there  are  specimens 
of  the  kind  at  points  on  the  Missouri  as  far  north  as  Dakota  and 
even  farther.  The  pyramids  found  inside  of  the  celebrated  enclo 
sure  called  Aztlan,  in  Wisconsin  (see  Fig.  4),  have  been  compared 
to  those  which  are  common  in  Middle  Tennessee,  and  the  walls 
with  bastions  surrounding  the  enclosure  have  been  compared  to 
those  at  Savannah,  Tennessee,  and  to  those  at  Evansville,  Ind., 
and  it  has  even  been  suggested  that  this  ancient  city  was  built 
by  a  colony  from  the  south.  It  is,  at  least,  the  northernmost 
point  at  which  pyramids  have  been  recognized,  the  so-called  hay 
stack  mound  in  Dakota  being  considered  a  specimen.  The  pyr 
amids  at  Atzalan  are  on  high  ground,  near  the  bastioned  wall,  and 
overlook  the  entire  enclosure.  There  is  a  graded  way  to  one 
of  them  and  an  elevated  causeway  connecting  it  with  the  lodge 
circles  on  the  flat  below.  The  effigies  are  just  below  the  bluff 
or  natural  terrace  pyramids.  On  the  bank  of  the  river  are  tw,o 
rows  of  lodge  circles,  with  a  level  street  between  them.  A  low 
platform  may  be  seen  near  the  lodge  circles  and  a  pond  near 

*The  group  at  Madison  Parish,  La.,  resembles  those  at  St.  Louis,  the  great  mound 
at  Seltzertown  those  at  Prairie  Jefferson,  and  those  near  Washington  resemble  these 
on  Cahokia  Creek. 


171 

the  platform.  There  are  ponds  near  all  the  platforms  and  pyr 
amids,  water  seeming  to  have  been  an  essential  to  the  religious 
assembly  places,  as  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  There  are 
effigies  within  a  mile  of  this  enclosure,  and  it  is  supposed  that 
the  long  irregular  mounds  inside  of  the  enclosure  were  effigies. 
These  pyramids  in  the  ancient  city  of  Wisconsin  are  inter 
esting  because  they  show  that  the  effigy-builders  were  also 
pyramid-builders  and  perhaps  sun-worshipers.  The  assump- 


Fig.  U.— Pyramids  and  Effigies  at  Aztlan,  Wisconsin. 

tion  has  been  that  marks  of  architectural  progression  were  ob 
servable  in  the  distribution  of  the  ancient  works.  Prof.  J.  T. 
Short  says: 

"  Men  all  around  the  world  have  been  pyramid-builders.  The 
religious  idea  in  man  has  always  associated  a  place  of  sanctuary 
with  the  condition  of  elevation  and  separateness.  The  simple 
mound,  so  common  in  the  northern  region  of  the  United  States, 
represents  the  first  step  in  providing  a  place  of  worship,  the 
construction  of  an  artificial  hillock  upon  the  summit  of  some 
bluff  or  hill.  The  next  step  would  be  the  construction  of  some 
religious  effigy  representing  animals  sacred  to  the  mound- 


172 

builders.  The  enclosures  with  the  truncated  pyramids,  which 
are  found  in  Ohio,  would  be  the  third  step.  The  highest  artis 
tic  form  is  found  in  the  truncated  pyramid,  with  its  complicated 
system  of  graded  ways  and  its  nice  geometrical  proportions." 
As  a  theory,  this  seems  very  plausible,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact 
pyramids  are  found  among  the  effigies  as  well  as  enclos 
ures.  The  superstition  which  required  the  erection  of  earth 
works  as  the  embodiment  of  their  idea  of  sacredness  is  an 
element  which  is  very  poorly  understood.  Sun-worship  and 
animal-worship  may  have  existed  together  in  Wisconsin,  as 
serpent-worship  and  sun-worship  did  in  Ohio.  Fire-worship 
and  serpent-worship  seemed  to  prevail  in  certain  parts  of  Illinois. 
The  only  district  where  sun-worship  prevailed  without  any 
mixture  of  animal  or  serpeut  worship  was  in  the  Southern 
States.  Here  it  seems  to  have  been  mingled  with  idol-worship, 
the  progress  of  thought  being  as  perceptible  in  the  works  of 
art  and  archaeological  relics  as  in  the  earth-works,  the  pyramid 
and  idol  having  been  associated  in  these  southern  districts. 

We  base  no  theory  on  these  facts,  merely  mention  the  locali 
ties  where  works  of  the  pyramidal  type  have  been  discovered.  To 
some  minds  they  would  prove  a  migration  from  the  north  or 
northwest  to  the  south  and  southeast,  and  would  show  that  the 
mound-builders  gradually  developed  from  the  low  stage  of  ani 
mal-worship  up  through  serpent  worship  to  the  higher  grade  of 
sun-worship,  the  different  types  of  earth-works  marking  the 
different  stages  through  which  they  passed.  To  other  minds, 
however,  they  would  prove  the  spread  of  a  secret  order,  or  the 
wanderings  of  a  class  of  priests  or  medicine  men,  who  intro 
duced  their  occult  system  into  the  different  tribes,  making  the 
pyramid  the  foundation  for  the  houses  in  which  they  celebrated 
their  mysterious  rites.  Another  explanation  is  that  tribes  migrated 
from  the  south  to  the  north,  and  that  as  they  migrated  they  took 
the  various  religious  systems  which  prevailed  among  them  in 
their  former  condition,  but  in  other  respects  they  yielded  to  the 
new  surroundings  and  became  wilder  and  ruder  in  their  mode  of 
life,  the  pyramid  being  about  the  only  sign  of  their  former  state 
that  is  left.  These  are,  however,  merely  conjectural  theories. 
The  home  of  the  pyramid-builders  as  such  was  not  in  north 
ern  territory,  for  it  is  understood  that  the  pyramids  are  mainly 
found  in  the  Gulf  States,  and  that  in  that  region  they  were  de 
voted  to  sun-worship,  which  is  the  cult  to  which  the  pyramids 
are  sacred  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 

As  to  the  use  of  the  pyramids,  it  has  been  generally  sup 
posed  that  the  pyramids  were  all  built  on  the  banks  of  streams  or 
on  low  ground  which  was  liable  to  be  submerged.  The  object 
of  building  them  was  to  make  them  a  place  of  refuge  or  retreat 
in  time  of  high  water.  Such  may  have  have  been  the  case  with 
these  works  near  Cahokia,  on  Cahokia  Creek,  and  yet  the  pyra- 


173 

mids  upon  the  west  side  of  the  river  were  upon  high  ground,  on 
the  third  terrace,  which  is  never  reached  by  the  water.  The  same 
contrast  may  be  recognized  in  other  places.  Many  of  the  pyr 
amids  on  the  Mississippi  River  are  on  low  ground,  and  near  the 
banks  of  the  river,  or  near  some  bayou  which  is  conected  with 
the  river.  There  are,  however,  certain  pyramids  remote  from 
any  stream,  and  situated  on  high  land  and  in  such  positions  as 
to  preclude  the  idea  that  they  were  built  for  retreats.  The  Mes 
sier  mound  is  a  specimen  of  this  kind.  It  is  not  one  of  a  group, 


^iPPPP^i 

'     >— '  '^ 


Fig.  5.— Works  at  Walnut  Bayou. 


but  stands  apart,  prominent  in  its  size,  marked  in  its  peculiarities 
and  attended  with  a  single  conical  mound.  This  pyramid  re 
minds  us  of  the  truncated  platform  at  Martin's  Ferry,  West 
Virginia,  though  that  is  in  the  region  where  squares  and  circles 
are  the  typical  shape.  The  Etowah  mound,  in  Georgia,  is  on 
low  ground  which  is  liable  to  be  flooded,  but  there  are  pyramids 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ocmulgee  River,  opposite  the  City  of 
Macon,  which  are  situated  upon  the  summit  of  a  natural  hill,  and 
occupy  a  commanding  position.  This,  we  think,  disposes  of  the 
idea  that  the  pyramids  were  built  only  for  refuges  for  the  peo 
ple  in  times  of  high  water.  They  were  evidently  typical  struc 
tures,  which  were  erected  under  the  power  of  some  religious 
sentiments  and  were  the  results  not  only  of  the  religious  system 
but  are  significant  of  the  tribal  organization.  The  custom  among 
these  tribes  was  to  place  the  houses  of  the  chiefs  and  priests 
upon  a  higher  level  than  those  of  the  common  people.  There 
is  a  great  contrast  between  the  works  of  .the  northern  districts 


174 


- 

•/^  "? 


and  those  found  in  the  southern  or  Gulf  States  in  this  particular. 
In  the  northern  districts  the  hunters'  life  prevailed,  and  the  people 
were  on  an  equality  with  the  chiefs  and  priests  or  medicine  men. 
In  the  southern  districts  the  people  were  agriculturists,  but  there 
existed  among  them  a  superior  class — clan  elders,  chiefs,  and 
priests  or  medicine  men,  having  great  power;  but  the  people 
were  contented  with  their  exercise  of  power.  This  was  the  case 
among  the  tribes  after  the  beginning  of  history.  We  call  them 
all  Indian,  but  a  great  difference  existed  between  the  Indians 
who  were  mere  hunters  of  the  forests  in  the  north  and  those 

who  were  the  agricultur 
ists  in  the  south. 

It  is  said  that  the  public 
square  was  the  place  where 
all  strangers  were  received, 
but  this  was  the  square 
around  which  the  ruling 
classes  had  their  houses, 
the  people  placing  their 
houses  outside,  so  consti 
tuting  a  center  in  which 
the  chiefs  were  supposed  to 
have  lived.  Some  of  the 
tribes  seemed  to  have  occu 
pied  the  old  villages,  but 
made  the  pyramids  and 
other  works  useful.  In  such 
villages  the  ancient  chunky 
yard  was  always  at  the  cen 
ter,  the  conical  mound  at 
one  end,  and  the  pyramidal 
mound  at  the  other,  the  public  square  or  residences  of  the  chiefs 
being  upon  the  truncated  pyramid,  the  assembly  place  or  religious 
house  on  the  conical  mound  opposite.  The  Cherokees  used 
these  structures.  They  built  lofty  council  houses,  rotundas,  on 
the  conical  mounds,  making  the  walls  twenty  feet  high,  and  then 
lifting  a  peaked  roof  above  these,  the  height  of  the  rotunda  attimes 
being  at  least  sixty  feet.  In  these  buildings  they  kept  up  the 
sacred  fire,  which  with  its  spiral  flame  and  smoke  was  significant 
to  them  of  the  religion  of  their  fathers.  We  can  imagine  how 
imposing  these  sacred  houses  were,  especially  when  they  were 
placed  on  the  summit  of  these  lofty  truncated  cones.  The  houses 
of  the  chiefs  and  clan  elders  seem  to  be  equally  sacred.  They 
were  difficult  of  approach,  lofty  stair-cases  being  built  up  the 
sides  of  the  pyramids  to  them,  and  guards  being  placed  on  the 
terraces  to  defend  them  from  sudden  attack.  We  have  a  picture 
then  of  the  pyramids  as  they  were  occupied  by  the  southern 
tribes — a  picture  which  is  suggestive  of  their  origin  and  purpose. 


Fig.  6.—  Works  at  Prairie  Jefferson. 


175 

This  picture  is  drawn  from  the  descriptions  given  by  the  various 
writers,  the  historians  of  Fernando  De  Soto  being  the  first,  and 
various  travelers,  Bartram  and  the  Indian  agent  Adair  giving  a 
later  view  of  the  works. 

IV.  We  now  take  up  the  particular  places  in  which  pyramids  are 
found,  and  shall  describe  their  groupings  and  various  peculiarities. 
The  works  at  Madison  Parish  and  Walnut  Bayou,  La,  are  first. 
Fig.  5.  The  group  is  situated  seven  miles  from  the  Mississippi 
River;  it  consists  of  seven  large  and  regular  pyramids,  and  a 
graded  or  elevated  roadway  half  a  mile  in  length.  The  roadway 
is  parallel  with  the  bayou,  but  the  mounds  are  twenty  yards  from 
it.  The  principal  structure  is  225  feet  long,  165  broad,  and  30 
feet  high;  has  a  terrace  on  the  side  next  the  bayou  which  begins 
at  ten  feet  above  the  surface,  is  ten  feet  wide,  and  extends  the 
entire  length  of  the  mound.  On  the  south  side  is  a  roadway  20 
feet  wide,  which  begins  60  feet  from  the  base  and  leads  with  a 
regular  grade  to  the  top;  at  either  end  of  the  mound  is  an  in 
clined  platform  75  feet  long,  60  feet  wide,  the  lowest  end  raised 
only  three  feet  from  the  surface.  A  similar  mound,  smaller  in 
size,  faces  the  pyramid,  with  a  graded  way  and  similar  platforms. 
At  the  east  side  are  three  pyramids  which  are  connected,  the 
central  one  being  96  feet  square,  10  feet  high ;  two  others  60  feet 
square,  8  feet  high,  the  three  being  connected  by  a  wall  or  ter 
race  40  feet  wide,  but  only  4  feet  high.  One  of  these  terraces*  is 
75  feet  long,  the  other  125  feet  long.  The  graded  way  is  3  feet 
high,  75  feet  wide,  2700  feet  in  length.  There  are  excavations 
on  either  side  200  feet  long,  50  feet  high,  300  feet  wide.  The 
relative  situation  of  these  pyramids  to  one  another  would  indicate 
that  they  were  the  abodes  of  the  chiefs,  that  the  public  square 
was  between  them,  and  that  the  houses  of  the  common  people 
were  situated  on  the  level  ground  outside  of  the  pyramids. 

ANCIENT  WORKS  AT  PRAIRIE  JEFFERSON. 


NO. 

SHAPE. 

SIZE  OF  BASE. 

SIZE  OF  TOP. 

HEIGHT. 

A 
B 
C 
D 
E 

F 
G 
H 
I 

Square  Pyramid  . 

180x135 

51x45 
210x75 

48 
5 
4 
4 
10 
high. 
12 
12 
7 
10 

Square  Pyramid 

Square  Pyramid  

132x132 

Square  Pyramid  

120x120 
16x42 
broad,  4  feet 
60x78 
60x71 
60x74 
36x45 

Square  Pyramid  

Embankment,  E  to  F.  135  ft. 

long,  15  feet 

Square  Pyramid  

Square  Pyramid 

Square  Pyramid  . 

Roadway  is  1050  feet  long,  12  broad,  3  high.    Pyramids  E,  F,  H,  I,  have  terraces  and 
same  relation  to  the  central  mound.    Dirt  for  embankments  was  taken  from  ponds. 


The  works  at  Prairie  Jeffereson  resemble  those  at  Madison  Par 
ish.     See  Fig,  6.     The  group  consists  of  six  mounds,  which  vary 


176 

from  4  to  48  feet  in  height,  from  60  to  210  feet  in  length,  40  to 
135  feet  in  width;  all  of  them  are  regularly  disposed  with  refer 
ence  to  the  temple  and  the  open  campus  between  them.  One 
mound,  called  the  temple,  has  a  level  area  on  its  summit,  51x45 
feet  in  diameter.  It  i5  reached  by  a  winding  way.  The  mounds 
which  face  this  temple  on  the  west  have  great  uniformity  of 
figure,  being  steepest  in  the  rear,  but  having  terraces  in  front 
which  incline  toward  the  plain  or  open  space.  There  is  an  arti 
ficial  pond  near  these  pyramids,  having  outlets  controlled  as  the 
mound- builders  desired,  the  earth  probably  having  been  taken 


Fig.  7.  —  Works  in  Bolivar  County, 


from  it  for  the  purpose  of  building  the  mounds.  One  of  these 
pyramids  has  been  used  as  the  site  of  a  dwelling,  reminding  us 
of  the  structures  situated  near  Cahokia. 

The  group  in  Bolivar  County.  Mississippi,  comes  next.  Fig.  7. 
It  consists  of  two  truncated  mounds,  occupied  by  two  small 
conical  mounds,  the  whole  surrounded  by  a  circular  wall  2300 
feet  in  circumference  and  4  feet  high.  The  size  of  the  pyramid 
is  175  feet  square  and  20  feet  high.  Another  is  135  feet  square 
and  15  feet  high.  The  conical  mounds  are  only  thirty  feet  in 
diameter  and  5  feet  high.  The  pyramids  are  orientated.  They 
do  not  vary  from  the  points  of  the  compass  more  than  two  de 
grees. 

At^the  junction  of  the  Ouachita,  Acatahoola  and  Tensas  Rivers 


177 

is  a  group  in  an  enclosure  containing  about  200  acres  of  land, 
the  embankment  around  it  being  about  10  feet  high.  Four  of 
the  mounds  are  of  equal  dimensions — 100x300  feet  at  the  base 
and  20  feet  high.  The  fifth,  which  is  80  feet  high,  seems  to  have 
been  designed  for  a  tower.  The  base  covers  an  acre  of  ground. 
It  rises  by  two  stages  or  terraces,  and  the  summit  is  crowned  by 


Fig.  8.—  Works  at  Seltzertown,  Mississippi.* 

a  flattened  cone.  The  summit  is  reached  by  a  spiral  pathway, 
winding  with  an  easy  ascent  around  the  mound,  which  is  broad 
enough  to  permit  two  horsemen  to  ride  abreast. 

The  great  mound  at  Seltzertown  is  next.  See  Fig,  8.  It  is 
near  Washington,  Mississippi,  and  consists  of  a  truncated  pyra 
mid  600x400  feet  at  the  base.  It  covers  nearly  six  acres  of 
ground;  its  sides  correspond  to  the  cardinal  points;  it  is  40  feet 
high,  is  svrrounded  by  a  ditch  which  averages  10  feet  in  depth;  it 

*Mound»A,  180x135  feet  at  base,  51x45  at  summit,  48  high;  B,  200  feet  at  summit  75 
wide,  5  high:  C,  132x132  feet,  4  high;  L>,  120x120  feet,  4  high;  E,  60x42  feet,  10  high-' F, 
60x42  feet,  12  high;  G,  60x51  feet,  12  high;  H,  60x54  feet,  7  high;  I,  36x45, 10  high 


178 

is  ascended  by  graded  avenues;  the  area  on  the  top  embraces 
about  4  acres;  there  are  two  conical  mounds  on  the  summit,  one 
at  each  end  of  the  pyramid  ;  the  one  at  the  west  end  is  not  far 
from  40  feet  in  height,  is  truncated,  has  an  area  of  30  feet  in 
diameter.  Eight  other  mounds  are  placed  at  various  points,  but 
they  are  comparatively  small,  being  from  8  to  10  feet  in  height. 
This  Seltzertown  mound  is  more  like  the  Cahokia  mound  than 
any  other  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  is  not  quite  as  large  and 
is  not  surrounded  by  many  earth-works,  yet  the  two  correspond 
in  many  particulars;  These  various  pyramids  which  are  scat 
tered  along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  River  irrdicate  a  very 
numerous  population.  We  have  no  doubt  that  they  mark  the 
sites  of  former  villages.  They  are  very  similar  in  their  shapes 
and  surroundings,  were  undoubtedly  built  by  people  of  similar 
tastes  and  modes  of  life.  M.  Fontaine  says:  ''It  is  probable 
that  the  entire  course  of  the  river,  from  Cairo  to  a  point  fifty 
miles  below  New  Orleans,  is  thickly  studded  with  mounds.  The 
whole  region  bordering  the  tributaries  was  densely  populated  by 
the  same  people."  Mr.  G.  C.  Forshey  describes  works,  some  of 
them  of  immense  proportion,  on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  one 
at  Trinity,  in  the  Parish  of  Catahoula,  Louisiana;  the  same 
writer  observed  a  mound  at  Natchez  25  feet  high.  Prof.  Short 
says:  "These  observations  convince  us  that  the  State  of  Louis 
iana  and  the  valleys  of  the  Arkansas  and  Red  Rivers  are  not 
only  the  most  thickly  populated  wing  of  the  mound-builders' 
domain,  but  also  furnished  remains  which  present  affinities  with 
the  great  works  of  Mexico  so  striking  that  no  doubt  can  longer 
exist  that  the  same  people  were  the  architect  of  both." 

V.  This  subject  of  differences  in  population  is  an  interesting 
one.  We  may  take  the  different  rivers  which  flow  southward 
from  the  Appalachian  range,  and  find  that  there  are  groups  of 
pyramidal  mounds  scattered  along  the  valley  of  each,  charac 
terizing  river  systems.  There  seems  to  be  a  difference  between 
the  works  of  the  entire  district,  those  on  the  Mississippi  River 
and  its  immediate  tributaries  being  very  different  from  those  on 
the  Chatahoochee,  Ochmulgee  and  Savannah  Rivers. 

We  judge  that  there  were  two  or  three  classes  of  pyramid- 
builders  at  the  south.  One  class  had  their  habitat  on  the  Mis 
sissippi  River.  They  erected  their  pyramids  around  an  open 
area,  connecting  them  with  walls,  the  graded  ways  always 
being  on  the  side  ot  the  area,  the  pyramids  abrupt  on  the  other 
side.  The  design  of  this  arrangement  was  apparently  to  make 
the  pyramids  themselves  a  sort  oi  defense.  The  pyramid-build 
ers  in  Georgia  and  Alabama  depended  more  upon  surrounding 
the  pyramids  with  walls  and  ditches  and  less  upon  the  pyramids 
themselves  for  their  security.  They  rarely  placed  the  pyramids 
in  lines,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no  provision  lor  an  open 
area  between  the  pyramids.  The  central  pyramid  was  the 


179 


chief  object  .The  various  mounds  and  pyramids  surrounding 
it  were  scattered  promiscuously,  without  any  special  order,  al 
though  we  may  recognize  the  associating  of  the  pyramid,  which 
the  public  square,  with  the  rotunda  as  frequently  here  as  in  the 
western  district. 

We  turn  now  to  examine  some  of  the  groups  found  on  the 
last  named  rivers.  These  have  been  made  familiar  to  us  by  the 
works  of  Col.  C.  C.  Jones  and  by  the  various  reports  which  have 
been  published  by  the  Smithsonian  Institute  and  the  Ethnological 
Bureau.  The  most  noted  of  these  groups  is  the  cne  at  Carters- 
ville,  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Coosa  River,  some  sixty  miles 
south  of  Chatanooga,  and  about  forty  miles  north  of  Atlanta. 
These  mounds  are  sit 
uated  in  the  midst  of 
a  beautiful  and  fertile 
valley.  They  occupy 
a  central  position  and 
an  area  of  some  fifty 
acres,  bounded  on  the 
east  by  the  Etowah 
River  and  west  by  a 
large  artificial  canal. 
The  moat  varies  in 
depth  from  5  to  25 
feet,  and  in  width  20 
to  85  feet.  There  are 
two  reservoirs  and 
an  artificial  pond  near 
this  moat.  The  enclos 
ure  is  protected  by  the 
river  and  moat,  but 
it  has  no  earth  walls. 
See  Fig.  9.  Within  the 


Fig.  9.— Etowah  Mounds. 


enclosure  are  seven 
mounds,  three  of 
them  of  large  size,  one  surpassing  the  others  in  proportions  and 
in  interest.  This  central  tumulus  consists  wholly  of  the  earth 
taken  from  the  moat.  Its  form  is  pentagonal ;  its  dimensions : 
length  of  the  sides,  150,  160.  100,  90,  100  feet;  diameter,  225 
feet;  height,  65  feet;  summit  nearly  level.  The  approach  to  the 
top  is  from  the  east,  but  was  accomplished  through  the  inclined 
plane  which  leads  from  one  terrace  to  another.  The  terraces  are 
65  feet  in  width  and  extend  from  the  mound  toward  the  south 
east.  There  is  a  pathway  on  the  eastern  angle  which  Mr.  Jones 
thinks  was  designed  for  the  priesthood  alone.  East  of  the  cen 
tral  mound,  immediately  adjoining  it,  stands  a  smaller  mound,  35 
feet  high,  nearly  circular  in  form,  which  has  an  easy  communi 
cation  with  the  terraces  of  the  larger  pyramid.  In  a  westerly 


180 


direction,  250  feet,  is  a  third  pyramid.  It  is  pentagonal  in  form, 
with  a  diameter  of  92x68  feet,  and  is  23  feet  high.  Within  the 
enclosure  is  a  chain  of  four  sepulchral  mounds.  Outside  of  the 
enclosure  are  two  other  conical  mounds,  Dr.  Thomas  thinks 
that  this  mound  was  visited  by  De  Soto,  and  that  it  was  the  place 
where  the  ambassadors  of  the  noted  cacique  of  Cutifachiqui  de 
livered  their  message  to  him.  Dr.  Thomas  gives  a  cut  of  this 
mound,  and  says  the  broad  way  winding  up  the  side  answers  to 
the  description  given  by  Garcilasso,  the  historian  of  the  expe 
dition,  better  than  any  other  in  Georgia.  The  smallest  of  the 
three  largest  mounds  of  the  group  was  opened  by  one  of  the 
assistants  of  the  Bureau  and  was  found  to  be  stratified — three 

horizontal  layers,  the  lowest 
of  loose  loam,  next  of  hard 
clay,  the  uppermost  of  sand 
and  surface  soil.  There  were 
stone  cists  in  the  loam,  and  in 
the  cists  many  interesting  rel- 
ics,  a  description  of  which  is 
given  at  length.  The  most 
interesting  relics  are  the  cop 
per  plates,  which  represent 
human  figures  with  wings  is 
suing  from  their  shoulders.  It 
is  unusual  to  find  winged 
figures  in  the  mounds,  yet 
enough  of  them  have  been 
found  to  establish  the  point 
that  they  were  of  aboriginal 
and  prehistoric  origin,  and 
can  not  be  taken  as  an  evi- 

Fig.  10.— Pyramids  on  Shoulder  Bone  Creek.      ,  r     ,  .  . 

dence  of  the  modern  date  ot 

these  stone  cists.  Another  peculiarity  of  these  figures  is  that 
they  have  very  peculiar  head-dresses — head-dresses  which  show 
the  use  ot  the  so  called  banner  stones,  as  in  two  of  them  the 
head-dress  is  surmounted  by  one  of  these  double-bladed  axes  or 
maces.  These  figures  have  in  their  ornamentation  and  other 
peculiarities  Mexican  or  Aztec  semblances,  the  same  barbaric 
splendor  being  manifested  in  both.  Dr.  Thomas  argues  for  the 
modern  origin  of  these  relics,  and  seems  to  think  that  the  stone 
graves  at  the  bottom  of  this  pyramid  must  have  been  built  by 
the  Shawnees,  a  northern  tribe,  which  at  a  late  date  happened 
to  wander  through  this  valley.  The  probabilities  are  in  the  other 
direction.  The  pyramid-builders  were  not  wild  Indians,  like  the 
Shawnees,  but  were  a  sedentary  people  more  like  the  Musko- 
gees,  and  yet  they  may  have  been  older  or  earlier  than  the 
Muskogees  and  of  the  same  stock  with  the  Mayas  or  Nahuas  of 
the  central  province. 


181 


Col.  Jones  speaks  of  the  stone  idols,  measuring  fifteen  inches 
in  height,  and  numerous  terra  cotta  images  of  birds  and  animals 
found  inside  these  enclosures;  also  of  stone  plates  and  large 
shell  ornaments.  He  says  these  relics  were  not  common  among 
the  Cherokees,  which  confirms  the  impression  that  they  were 
the  results  of  the  labor  of  the  modern  Indians.  The  great  age 
of  the  structures  is  shown  by  the  trees  which  formerly  grew  on 
them  and  by  the  abandoned  condition  of  the  group.  Traces 
have  been  found  of  hearths  or  altars  upon  the  central  mound, 
giving  evidence  of  the  presence  of  fire  and  perhaps  of  sacrifice. 
The  broad  terraces  and  the  adjoining  pyramids  would  afford 
space  for  the  assembling  of  the  worshipers  at  the  appointed 
hour,  when  upon  the  elevated  eastern  summit  the  officiating 
priest  caught  the  ear 
liest  rays  of  the  rising 
sun  as  it  lifted  its  face 
from  off  the  shadows 
of  the  distant  hills 
and  smiled  upon  this 
beautiful  valley.  The 
terraces  lie  toward  the 
east,  and  everything 
about  the  tumulus 
proves  that  it  was 
erected  for  religious 
purposes  and  was  con 
secrated  to  the  great 
divinity  of  the  sun.  It 
is  probable  that  the 
canals  were  used  as 
fish  preserves,  as  the  fishes  could  be  introduced  from  the  rivers 
into  the  reservoirs  and  there  propagated.  Everything  about  the 
locality  shows  that  it  was  a  village  of  the  Mound-builders. 

Next  come  the  pyramids  of  Little  Shoulder  Bone  Creek, 
in  Hancock  County,  Georgia.  See  Fig.  10.  This  was  also  on  the 
banks  of  a  stream,  and  was  surrounded  by  moats  and  excava 
tions.  The  total  area  is  but  four  or  five  acres.  There  is  but  a 
single  pyramid  in  the  enclosure.  It  is  a  truncated  pentagonal 
mound,  measuring  180x184  feet  at  the  base,  80x88  feet  at  the 
summit,  40  feet  high.  The  approach  was  from  the  east,  but  the 
summit  was  perfectly  level.  A  truncated  cone,  measuring  140 
feet  at  the  base  and  52x42  at  the  summit,  16  feet  high,  is  near. 
This  may  have  been  the  rotuada,  though  it  is  150  yards  distant 
from  the  pyramid.  Within  the  enclosure,  stone  idols,  clay 
images,  with  human  shapes  and  others  imitative  of  beasts  and 
birds,  similar  to  those  in  the  valley  of  the  Etowah,  have  been 
found.  Every  indication  suggests  that  the  locality  was  for  a 
long  period  of  time  densely  populated. 


Fig.  11.— Pyramid  on  Ocmulgee  Creek. 


182 


The  pyramid  on  the  Savannah  River  is  next  to  described. 
This  pyramid  is  situated  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  below  the  City 
of  Augusta.  It  is  also  surrounded  by  a  moat.  There  are  two 
mounds  in  the  enclosure;  the  largest  measures  58  feet  in  diam 
eter  at  the  summit,  185  feet  at  the  base;  it  37  feet  above  the 
plain  and  47  above  the  water  level.  The  western  flank  of  the 
mound  extends  for  a  distance  of  20  yards.  Beneath  the  surface 
is  a  layer  of  charboal,  bones,  shells,  ashes  and  baked  earth  12 
inches  thick,  showing  a  long-seated  encampment.  There  was,  125 
feet  east  of  this,  a  smaller  mound,  having  a  bsse  diameter  of  1 14 
feet,  15  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Terra  cotta  vases, 
pots,  arrows,  spear-heads,  mortar  pipes,  bone  and  shell  beads  are 
found  in  the  adiacent  field. 

Next  comes  the  mounds  on  the  Ocmulgee,  opposite  the  City 
of  Macon.  See  Fig.  1 1.  These  are  located  on  the  summit  of  a 

_____  hill.  The  earth  was  takeu 

from  a  valley  and  con 
veyed  to  the  top  of  the 
hill.  There  are  four 
mounds  in  the  group. 
One  of  them  is  a  pyramid 
with  three  spurs  or  ele 
vated  approaches,  and  an 
artificial  plateau  or  plat 
form  8  feet  high,  72  feet 
long  and  93  feet  wide. 
The  summit  diameters  of 
this  are  180  and  200  feet, 
its  elevation 45  or  50  feet. 
It  is  not  improbable  that 
this  was  the  central 
mound.  There  is  a  com 
panion  mound  or  cone 
100  feet  north.  It  is  10 
feet  high,  elliptical  in 
shape,  128  feet  in  length.  A  third  mound  is  distant  300  or  400 
yards  northwest,  and  a  fourth  400  yards  northeast.  An  inter 
esting  fact  is  that  this  mound  was  excavated  while  the  track  of 
the  Central  railway  was  being  made.  At  a  depth  of  three  feet 
several  skulls  were  exhumed,  and  associated  with  them  were 
stone  implements,  Venetian  beads,  copper  hawk  bells.  At  the 
bottom  of  the  mound  a  skull  was  found  which  was  distorted  and 
flattened,  and  differed  in  every  respect  from  the  first  skull.  Who 
these  flat-head  mound-builders  were  is  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
The  Creeks  did  not  claim  that  these  tumuli  were  erected  by  them. 
They  declare  that  they  were  here  when  their  ancestors  possessed 
themselves  of  the  region. 

The   Messier  mound  is  next.      See  Fig.  12.      This  is  a  four- 


Fig.  12.— The  Messier  Mound. 


183 


sided  pyramid,  324  feet  long,  188  feet  wide,  57  feet  high;  the 
summit  is  156  feet  long  and  66  feet  wide.  It  is  situated  upon 
the  summit  of  a  hill.  It  stands  apart,  prominent  in  its  size,  and 
commands  an  extensive  view.  There  are  other  smaller  mounds 
near  by.  It  is  a  large  mound,  and  contains  about  75,000  cubic 
yards  of  earth,  which  would  weigh  from  90,000  to  100,000  tons. 
There  is  a  ditch  and  moat  near  by,  which  probably  furnished 
the  earth.  Its  area  is  about  two  acres;  average  depth,  25  feet. 
At  one  point  an  immense  circular  well,  60  feet  in  diameter,  and 


PYRAMID 

OF 

'KOLEE  MOKEE 

EAttLY  CO.,  GA. 

Surveyed  ~by  James  JT.  Evan*, 

County  Surveyor. 

Scale:  20chs.  to  flie  inch. 


Fig.  IS. —  Walled  Enclosure. 

40  feet  deep,  can  be  seen.  There  formerly  existed  in  the  vicinity 
lines  of  earth -works  a  mile  in  length.  Mr.  Jcnes  says:  "The 
Messier  mound  was  erected  not  for  defensive  purposes,  but  as  a 
temple.  In  the  religious  festivals  of  primitive  people  ablutions 
serve  an  important  part,  and  the  convenient  presence  of  water 
was  deemed  essential."  f^^ 

We  might  speak  of  other  pyramids.  One  at  Bobone,  9  feet 
high  and  70  feet  in  diameter,  stands  on  the  inland  tide  marsh  near 
the  sea  coast.  The  second  is  on  the  Kolee  Mokee  Creek,  in 
Early  County.  See  Fig.  13.  The  pyramid  occupies  the  cente 


184 

of  a  fortified  enclosure,  around  which  there  are  extensive  earth 
works  or  walls,  with  a  prominent  gateway  and  bastions  at  the 
gateway.  The  pyramid  is  350  feet  by  215  feet  at  the  base.  181 
feet  by  82  at  the  summit,  and  is  95  feet  high.  There  is  a  pit  at 
the  south  end  of  the  pyramid,  from  which  the  earth  was  taken. 
A  companion  mound  to  this  was  24  feet  high,  72  feet  in  diame 
ter.  A  ditch  leads  from  the  mound  to  the  creek,  20  feet  wide 
and  400  yards  long.  The  walls  surrounding  the  enclosure  are 
at  present  about  30  feet  wide.  They  are  very  low,  not  over  I  cS 
inches  in  height,  and  probably  mark  the  site  of  an  old  stockade. 
There  is  a  double  line  of  walls  on  the  south  or  southwest.  On 
Dry  Creek,  in  the  same  county,  is  a  burial  place,  where  in  an 
area  of  fifty-one  acres,  eighty-three  mounds  are  situated.  They 
vary  in  height  from  a  few  inches  to  10  feet,  in  diameter  from  15 
to  30  feet.  This  pyramid  inside  a  walled  enclosure  is  a  rare  in 
stance,  for  the  majority  of  them  are  only  protected  by  the  moats 
or  ditches.  There  are,  however,  fortifications  in  the  state,  but 
they  are  generally  found  upon  the  mountains.  One  is  situated 
upon  Stone  mountain.  Near  the  summit  it  has  a  gateway  pro 
tected  by  a  large  overhanging  rock,  the  fortification  being  very 
strong  in  its  natural  defenses.  Another  is  on  the  Yond  moun 
tain,  which  is  a  cone  4,000  feet  high.  Itis  also  walled  with 
stone.  Mr.  M.  F.  Stevenson  says :  "All  defensible  mountains 
in  this  country  were  fortified.  Neither  the  Cherokees,  Creeks 
nor  Seminoles  had  any  tradition  of  the  extinct  race.  The  names 
of  localities  where  mounds  are  found  in  this  State  are  somewhat 
significant,  A  cemetery  is  found  at  'Druid  Grove;'  two  are  on 
the  'Black  Beard  River;'  the  big  mound  is  on  Bourbon  Creek; 
the  eighty-three  mounds  are  on  the  Dry  Creek,  in  the /Sacred 
Grove'." 


185 


CHAPTER  XI. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

One  of  the  chief  things  impressed  upon  us  by  the  study  of 
the  Mound-builders'  works  is  the  peculiar  method  of  defense 
which  prevailed  among  them.  This  method  was,  to  be  sure, 
one  which  they  held  in  common  with  all  other  prehistoric  races, 
but  it  was  in  strong  contrast  with  all  that  have  ever  existed  in 
historic  times. 

We  may  imagine  that  their  fortifications  are  like  those  of 
modern  times,  but  when  we  come  to  consider  them  more  closely 
we  find  them  entirely  different.  A  few  words  in  reference  to 
these  differences  will  be  in  place  here. 

1.  The  people  to  be  defended. — The  picture  before  us  is  not 
that  of  a  nation  occupying  a  continent,  nor  of  a  people  filling  a 
State,  nor  a  community  occupying  a  township,  but  it  is  of  a  tribe 
occuping  a  river  valley,  or  of  a  clan  occupying  a  limited  district. 
The  clan  was  the  unit  of  society.     Each  clan  had  its  own  burial 
place,  its  own  place  of  religious  assembly,  its  own  chief,  and  we 
may  suppose  also  its  own  stronghold.     The  method  of  defense 
was  for  the  clans  to  gather  and  make  common  cause,  the  tribe 
itself  being  only  a  combination  of  clans. 

2.  The  class   chosen  to  be  defenders. — The  Mound-builders 
never  attained  to  the  modern   method  of  employing  a  distinct 
military  class  for  defense.     There  were  no  different  classes  among 
them,  and  scarcely  any  division  of  labor,     All  followed  the  same 
general  mode  of  life,  were  either  fishermen,  or  hunters,  or  agri 
culturists,  the   means  of  subsistence  being  common  to  all,  and 
the  responsibility  of  defense  being  shared  by  all.     This  condi 
tion  of  things  secured  safety  to  the  people.     They  all  were  or 
ganized  into  clans,  but  the  organization   was   such   that  every 
young  man,  when  he  was  initiated  into  the  clan,  became  a  war 
rior.     They  became  a  race  of  warriors  by   this   means.     The 
obligation  to  defend  the  clan  was  made  a  condition  of  member 
ship.     It  has  placed  this  duty  before  that  of  securing  subsistence. 
The  government  was  based  on  this  system.     There  was  a  village 
government  as  well  as  a  tribal  one,  each  village  having  its  own 
chief  and  its  own  council  hpuse. 

3.  The  extent   of  territory  defended. — The    Mound-builders 
occupied  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  their  defenses  are  scattered 
over  the  whole  region,  every  part  of  it  giving  evidence  not  only 


186 

of  an  extensive  signal  system,  but  of  fortifications  as  well.  Still, 
so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  system  of  defense  which,  while 
it  embraced  this  entire  valley,  was  one  which  was  divided  and 
adapted  to  limited  districts.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  evidences 
that  confederacies  existed  among  the  Mound-builders  Where 
these  prevailed  the  system  of  defense  extended  over  compara 
tively  large  districts,  districts  which,  in  some  cases,  cover  the 
half  of  a*  modern  State.  As  a  general  thing  the  territorv  was 
more  limited  than  this.  It  was  the  tribal  territory  that  was  de 
fended.  The  village  was,  to  be  sure,  the  clan  abode,  and  this  must 
be  defended  first,  but  the  clans  were  organized  into  tribes,  and  so 
the  system  of  defense  embraced  the  habitat  of  the  tribe. 

4.  The  means  of  defense  are  in  contrast.     These  differ  even  in 
historic  times.     In  modern  days  the  forts  are  the  main  source  of 
protection.     The  entire  people  are   defended  by  the  forts,     The 
mediaeval  method  was  to  make  the  walled  towns  the  chief  source 
of  protection,  the  castle  being  the  dwelling  place  of  the  feudal 
despot.     The  ancient  method  was  to  surround  the  cities  with 
walls  and  to   make  the  citadels  the  chief  source  of  protection. 
The  prehistoric  method  was  to  make  the  village  the  permanent 
residence,  depending  on  the  clan  organization  as  the  main  source 
of   protecttion.      The  clan  dwelt    in    the  villages,   and    some 
times  protected  these  with  walls  and  sometimes  left  them  without 
walls.    Their  chief  defense  seem  sto  have  been  in  the  forts.    Were 
they  clan  forts  or  tribal  forts?     The  probability  is  that  they  were 
the  latter.     They  were  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  villages  for  the 
protection  of  the  clan  as  well  as  the  tribe, 

5.  The  location  is  to  be  considered.     We  have  divided  the 
Mound-builders'  territory  into  different  districts.     The  method  of 
defense  varied  according  to  the   location.     In   the   northern  re 
gions  the  wilder  and  more  uncivilized  races  dwelt.    These  erected 
stockades  resembling  Caesar's  Forts,  built  in  the  forests  of  Gaul. 
In  the  central  regions  were  the  agriculturists.     These  lived  in 
walled  villages  resembling  those  of  mediaeval  times,  their  fortifi 
cations  resembling  castles.     In  the  southern  districts  we  find  the 
system  of  pyramids,  which  resembled  those  of  the  ancient  peo 
ple  of  the  East,  especially  the  Assyrian  and  Chaldean.     On  these 
pyramids  the  chiefs  had  their  residence,  and  found  protection  in 
their  height.     The  Mound-builders'  defenses  embraced  a  great 
variety,  if  we  take  the  different  districts  into  account,  and  yet  there 
was  a  resemblance  between  them. 

6.  The  stage  of  progress  prevalent  among  the  Mound-builders 
is  another  element  bf  difference.  We  may  draw  a  parallel  between 
the   historic  and  prehistoric  ages,  locating  the  different  grades 
in   different  belts  of  latitude,  recognizing  the  stages  of  progress 
as  we  cross  these  belts.     The  defensive  system  is,  however,  very 
different.     This  system  depended  largely  upon  the  condition  of 
the  people.     There  was  never  any  such  protection  as  that  given 


187 

by  the  ancient  cities.     We  must  judge  the  two  periods  by  differ 
ent  standards. 

7.  The  religious  system  is  perhaps  the  chief  element  of  con 
trast.  We  shall  find  that  religion  was  a  prominent  factor  in  the 
defenses  of  the  Mound-builders,  superstition  being  as  powerful 
among  them  as  among  the  modern  savages.  We  can  not  omit 
the  element  of  religion  from  prehistortc  races. 

With  these  few  remarks  we  now  proceed  to  the  study  ot  the 
different  methods  of  defense  among  the  Mound-builders. 

I.  The  first  method  to  which  we  shall  call  attention  is  that 
which  appears  in  the  extensive  signal  and  observatory  stations. 
We  have  already  called  attention  to  this  system  in  the  chapter 
on  burial  mounds.  We  will  now  consider  it  more  especially  in 
connection  with  village  life.  The  fact  is  that  a  system  of  signals 
by  which  the  villages  could  communicate  with  one  another,  and 
through  which  the  people  could  be  aroused  to  the  sense  of  danger, 
everywhere  existed.  The  extent  of  this  signal  system  was,  oi 
course,  dependent  upon  the  extent  of  the  tribe  or  confederacy, 
In  some  cases  the  system  would  be  limited  to  the  valley  of  a 
single  river,  or  perhaps  to  a  portion  of  the  valley.  In  other 
cases  it  would  extend  across  the  country  from  one  river  to 
another,  In  a  few  cases  the  signal  system  extended  even  beyond 
these  limits,  and  may  be  supposed  to  have  reached  out  till  it 
covered  the  whole  country  with  a  network  of  beacons  and  sig 
nals.  The  defense  which  this  system  gave  to  the  Mound-builders 
can  not  be  over  estimated.  The  people  may  have  dwelt  in 
villages.  Many  of  the  villages  were  situated  upon  low  ground, 
but  the  signal  stations  were  so  placed  upon  the  high  points  sur 
rounding  them  that  there  was  a  constant  outlook,  and  the  pro 
tection  covered  a  large  region  of  country. 

I.  We  notice  that  this  system  was  common  among  all  the 
tribes  of  Indians.  We  have  the  testimony  of  explorers  that  it 
was  very  common  in  the  far  west.  We  present  a  few  cuts  which 
are  taken  from  the  reports  of  the  Ethnological  Bureau,  and 
would  refer  to  the  remarks  of  Col.  Garrett  Mallery,  Dr.  W.  J. 
Hoffman,  W.  H.  Holmes  and  others.  It  appears  that  one  method 
of  signalling  a  village  was  to  place  a  horseman  on  an  eminence 
so  that  he  could  be  seen  in  all  directions.  The  horseman  had  a 
way  of  riding  in  a  circle,  and  the  sign  was  easily  understood. 
The  plate  illustrates  this,  for  here  the  horseman  is  on  the  hill 
and  the  village  is  in  the  valley,  and  the  attacking  party  approach 
ing  from  a  distance.  See  Plate  I.  Another  method  is  to  build 
fires  upon  prominent  points,  so  that  the  smoke  could  be  seen  by 
day  or  the  flame  by  night,  and  the  warning  be  given  in  this 
way.  This  is  illustrated  by  Plate  II.  This  particular  cut  shows 
the  signal  which  was  given  to  convey  tidings  of  victory,  but 
similar  signals  were  given  also  as  warnings.  The  natives  have 
a  method  of  signaling  by  fire,  which  is  peculiar  to  themselves. 


188 

The  Dakotas,  for  instance,  mix  their  combustibles  so  as  to  cause 
different  shades  of  smoke;  using  dried  grass  for  the  lightest,  and 
pine  leaves  for  the  darkest,  and  a  mixture  for  intermediate  shades. 
These  with  their  manner  of  covering  a  fire  with  their  blankets, 
so  as  to  cause  puffs  of  smoke,  or  of  leaving  the  smoke  to  rise  in 
unbroken  columns,  gave  to  them  a  variety  of  signals.  Some 
times  a  bunch  of  grass  was  tied  to  an  arrow  and  lighted,  and 
shot  into  the  air.  The  tribes  of  the  southwest  signal  by  this 
means.  The  Aztecs  signaled  to  each  other  by  fire  during  the 
siege  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 


, 

~?«r  -^t.*iLj«L    •         .      •  -      --oS 


Fig.  l.—Hill  Mound  near  Chillicothe. 

There  are  many  signals  among  the  tribes  which  are  used  in 
case  of  victory,  and  others  for  hunting  purposes,  and  still  others 
for  purposes  of  recognition,  but  those  for  defense  are  the  most 
important.  We  give  a  cut  illustrating  the  method  by  which  the 
natives  now  make  signs  to  one  another  for  the  purpose  of  recog 
nition  (see  Plate  III).*  The  same  custom  of  stationing  sentinels 
on  prominent  points  as  lookout  stations,  has  been  long  prev 
alent.  Circles  of  stones  are  often  found  upon  elevated  points 
of  land,  where  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country  can  be 
obtained.  These  circles  are  common  on  the  Upper  Missouri, 
among  the  Dakotas  in  Arizona,  among  the  Hualpai,  among  the 
Pah  Utes  of  Nevada,  in  the  Sho-Shonee  country,  in  Wyoming, 
and  in  many  other  places  of  the  far  west.  Frequentlv  the  ground 


*These  Plates  are  reproduced  from  T he  American  Anti<ju<n-inn,  Vol.  V,  No.  :;. 


189 


around  these  watch  stations  is  literally  covered  with  flint  chip- 
pings,  as  it  was  the  custom  of  the  sentinels  to  spend  their  time  in 
making  bows  and  arrows  while  watching. 

This  signal  system  still  prevails.  It  is  more  prevalent  in  an 
open  country  like  the  plateau  of  the  west,  and  yet  it  probably 
prevailed  in  ancient  times,  in  the  region  east  of  the  mountains. 
Traces  of  it  are  seen  among  the  Mound-builders. 


IXHIBITUie  A  SECTION  OF  SIX  MILES 

•/VAr 

GREAT  MIAMI  VALLEY. 

vrteft  ifs  Jnrienr  JfonumeTity 

tf  J.  >t'Er~i~  */•  J.Wtrid*. 


Fig.  2. — Map  of  1^'orts  on  the  Miami. 

2.  The  combination  of  signal  mounds  or  observatories  with 
beacons  was  a  common  method  of  defense.  Some  of  these  are 
accompanied  with  vast  quantities  of  ashes,  showing  that  beacon 
fires  were  long  kept  burning.  In  one  case  the  ashes  were  thrown 
over  a  steep  embankment,  and  yet  were,  when  discovered,  many 
feet  in  depth.  Many  of  the  burial  mounds  were  used  as  watch 
stations  or  beacons,  and  it  may  be  that  a  double  protection  was 
given  by  them.  These  observatories  or  beacon  mounds  are 
sometimes  placed  on  very  high  points,f  and  thus  they  command 
the  view  of  other  points  at  a  great  distance.  This  idea  is  given 
by  Dr.  Lapham,  in  connection  with  Lapham's  Peak,  a  high  knoll 

tSee  map  of  Scloto  Valley,  also  of  Miami  Valley  and  of  works  at  Marietta. 


190 

in  Washington  County,  which  commands  a  very  extensive  pros 
pect  for  miles  in  every  direction.  Dr.  J.  W.  Phene  in  his  visit 
to  this  country  recognized  the  same  in  connection  with  the  great 
serpent  mound  in  Adams  County,  Ohio.  He  states  that  this 
work  is  located  on  an  eminence,  from  which  a  view  can  be  had 
of  Lookout  mountain,  in  Highland  County,  twelve  miles  away. 
The  same  has  been  observed  by  the  author  in  connection  with 
the  works  at  Circleville.  The  great  mound  at  Circkville  was 
sixty  feet  high,  and  commanded  a  view  of  Lookout  mountain, 
twelve  miles  to  the  south  of  it.  On  this  mountain  an  observa 
tory  was  located  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  works  at 
Hopeton,  situated  just  below,  and  the  works  at  Chillicothe, 
several  miles  to  the  south  of  it.  It  is  maintained  by  E.  G. 
Squier,  that  such  a  series  of  lofty  observatories  extend  across 
the  whole  States  of  Ohio,  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  the  Grave 
Creek  mound  on  the  east,  the  great  mound  at  Vincennes  on  the 
west,  and  the  works  in  Ohio  filling  up  the  line.  Other  persons 
who  have  made  a  study  of  the  works  along  the  Ohio  River  main 
tain  that  there  is  a  series  of  signal  stations  running  up  the 
branches  of  the  rivers,  such  as  the  Scioto,  the  Great  and  Little 
Miami,  the  Wabash,  and  other  rivers,  and  that  all  the  prominent 
works  through  Ohio  and  Indiana  are  connected  by  a  line  of  ob 
servatories,  This  net-work  of  signal  stations  is  interesting  it 
studied  in  connection  with  the  village  enclosures;  as  there  are 
many  scattered  throughout  this  whole  region. 

Here  we  call  attention  to  the  explorations  of  the  Rev.  J.  T. 
McLean,  who  has  described  the  location  of  the  large  mounds  on 
the  Miami  River.  He  has  shown  that  they  were  connected  with 
one  another  and  with  the  forts  and  villages  on  that  river.  See 
Fig.  2.  The  author  has  followed  up  the  subject  and  has  found 
that  a  line  of  signal  stations  extends  from  Fort  Ancient,  on  the 
Little  Miami,  to  the  great  mound  at  Miamisburg,  on  the  Big 
Miami.  The  latter  mound  was  raised  to  the  height  of  sixty-five 
feet,  so  as  to  give  a  chance  to  signal  over  a  range  of  hills  situated 
just  west  of  it.  The  great  mounds  at  Grave  Creek,  at  Marietta, 
at  Chillicothe  and  elsewhere  were  placed  on  prominent  points 
that  they  might  serve  as  signal  stations. 

Dr.  J  C.  Proudfit  has  traced  the  signal  system  along  the  Mis 
souri  River  and  has  shown  that  it  is  very  extensive.  Hon.  C.C. 
Jones  has  traced  them  through  Georgia,  in  the  Southern  States. 
Gen.  G.  P.  Thruston  has  traced  them  through  Tennessee  and  the 
Cumberland  Valley.  Dr.  J.  H.  Baxter  has  traced  them  on  both 
sides  of  the  Ohio  River  from  Cincinnati  to  Louisville.  We  may 
suppose  that  the  system  extended  over  the  entire  Mound-build 
ers'  territory.  It  is  probable  that  nearly  all  the  large  mounds 
were  lookouts,  and  were  essential  factors  in  the  military  system 
of  the  Mound-builders.  The  distinguishing  points  of  the  system 
are  as  follows: 


191 

3-  A  signal  station  designed  for  defense  is  generally  a  mound 
located  on  a  prominent  point,  in  close  proximity  to  sonie  village, 
and  is  so  connected  with  other  observatories  that  signals  can 
easily  be  exchanged.  The  signal  stations  on  the  hills  commanded 
other  stations  at  a  great  distance,  so  that  no  enemy  cowld  come 
within  miles  of  the  spot  without  being  seen.  Such  a  system 
of  outlooks  maybe  seen  surrounding  the  ancient  capital  at  New 
ark,  which  was  singularly  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  natural  am 
phitheater,  while  the  observatories  were  located  on  the  hills  sur 
rounding.  It  has  been  stated  also  that  observatory  mounds  are 
located  on  all  the  hills  in  this  region,  forming  lines  between  this 
center  and  other  prominent  though  distant  points.  A  line  has 
been  partially  traced  from  Mt.  Vernon  to  Newark,  the  large 
mound  in  the  cemetery  at  Mt.  Vernon  being  one  of  the  series. 

On  a  hill  opposite  Chillicothe,  nearly  600  feet  in  height,  the 
loftiest  in  the  entire  region,  one  of  these  signal  mounds  is  placed. 
A  fire  built  upon  this  would  be  distinctly  visible  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  up,  and  an  equal  distance  down,  the  valley  of  the 
Scioto,  including  in  its  range  the  Circleville  works,  twenty  miles 
distant,  as  also  for  a  long  way  up  the  broad  valleys  of  the  two 
Paint  Creeks,  both  of  which  abound  in  the  remains  of  ancient 
villages.  In  the  map  of  the  Miami  valley  a  similar  position  ob 
served,  and  similar  mounds  occur  along  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois, 
and  the  upper  Mississippi,  showing  how  extensive  this  signal 
system  was,  at  the  same  time  showing  how  intimately  it  was 
connected  with  the  villages,  The  author  has  also,  during  the 
preparation  of  this  paper,  discovered  sites  of  ancient  villages  near 
the  lofty  eminence  called  the  Platte  mounds,  in  Wisconsin,  and 
the  conviction  has  grown  with  the  study  of  the  works  in  all  sec 
tions  of  the  country  that  the  signal  system  was  closely  con 
nected  with  all  the  prominent  points,  and  that  villages  were 
frequently  located  near  these  points  for  the  very  purpose  of  se 
curing  the  defense  offered  by  this  system. 

4.  The  large  conical  mounds  were  used  as  signal  stations. 
It  took  a  long  time  to  finish  one  of  these  conical  mounds.  The 
beacons  or  funeral  fires  may  have  been  kept  burning,  and  so  de 
fense  of  the  living  as  well  as  burial  of  the  dead  was  accomplished 
by  them.  The  fact  that  conical  mounds  were  so  often  placed  upon 
high  points  and  commanded  extensive  views  would  indicate  that 
the  interchange  of  signals  was  very  extensive.  We  have  given 
elsewhere  cuts  of  the  large  conical  mounds  at  Grave  Creek,* 
Marietta,  Miamisburg  and  Vincennes.  These  were  located  near 
ancient  villages  and  were  connected  with  many  other  works.  The 
mound  at  Vincennes  is  only  one  of  a  group  which  surrounds  the 
city,  and  is  said  to  mark  the  site  of  an  ancient  capital.  These 

*Thls  point  can  be  seen  in  the  cuts  illustrating  the  articles  on  "Sacred  Enclosures" 
and  "Migrations".  These  cuts  show  how  the  signal  stations  and  the  forts  are  con 
nected  with  the  villages. 


192 

are,  however,  only  a  few  of  the  many  localities.  In  fact  there  is 
scarcely  a  bluff  along  the  whole  course  of  the  Mississippi  River 
where  some  such  beacon  mound  is  not  found.  The  same  is  true 
on  the  Missouri,  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland,  the  Tennessee,  and 
other  tributaries.  It  is  the  commonest  thing  for  explorers  to 
find  burial  mounds  which  were  used  as  lookout  stations.  It  is 
always  interesting  to  notice  how  skillfully  these  spots  are  chosen 
and  how  extensive  the  views  are  from  them. 

5.  Beacon  fires  were  frequently  lighted  on  the  walls  of  the 
defensive  enclosures,  and  many  elevated  points  within  village 
enclosures  were  used  for  the  purpose  of  signaling  distant  places, 
so  that  we  cannot  confine  the  signal  system  to  mounds  or  iso 
lated  stations,  though  as  a  general  rule  the  signal  system  was 
outside  and  supplementary  to  the  village  enclosure.  For  illus 
trations  of  this  see  Plate  representing  the  hill  fort. 

We  would  refer  here  to  the  fact  that  in  the  ancient  fortification 
at  Bourneville,  O.,  there  was  a  rocky  summit  which  overlooked 
a  great  valley  below,  on  which  traces  of  beacon  fires  have  been 
discovered,  and  that  upon  the  walls  of  the  enclosure  at  Fort 
Ancient  traces  of  fire  have  also  been  discovered. 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  many  villages  where  the  location 
of  some  lofty  point  near  by  would  give  great  opportunity  for  ex 
changing  signals  either  by  fire  or  smoke  for  great  distances. 
Many  such  points  are  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  mention  the  fact  that  between 
Chillicothe  and  Columbus,  in  Ohio,  not  far  from  twenty  of  these 
points  can  be  selected,  the  stations  so  placed  in  reference  to  each 
other  that  it  is  believed  that  signals  of  fire  might  be  transmitted 
in  a  few  minutes. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  second  method  of  detense.  This 
consisted  in  the  erection  of  stockade  forts.  It  may  be  said  that 
this  was  the  common  method  of  the  wilder  tribes  and  was  pecu 
liar  to  the  northern  class  of  Mound-builders.  There  were  three 
varieties  of  stockades: 

I.  Those  located  on  high  ground,  and  which  were  naturally 
defended  and  needed  only  a  double  wall  across  the  tongue  of 
land  to  protect  this.  This  is  the  simplest  kind  of  a  fort.  Many 
of  them  have  been  seen  and  fully  described  in  the  northern 
part  of  Ohio.*  Col.  C  Whittelsey  has  described  some  of  these. 
They  are  situated  at  Conneaut,  at  Ashtabula,  at  Painesville,  at 
Cleveland,  and  various  places  on  the  Cuyahoga  River,  near  San- 
dusky,  on  the  Sandusky  River,  and  at  many  points  along  the 
valleys  of  these  different  streams  which  run  into  Lake  Erie.  We 
call  attention  to  these  works,  as  they  illustrate  the  number  and 


*See  Tract  No.  41,  Western  Reserve  and  Northern  Ohio  Historical  Society,  Ancient 
Earthworks.  Seealso,  Ancient  Earth-Forts  of  the  Cuyahoga  valley,  Ohio,  Cleveland: 
1871.  See  History  of  Ashland  county  by  Dr.  A.  H.  Hill.  See  work  on  Mound-builders 
by  Rev.  I.  T.  McLean,  and  Aboriginal  Monuments  of  Western  New  York,  by  E.  G 
Squier. 


IFI1DJS.TIHPIHBI1D.    JEHIWL 

fjJUIttf  S.r.  ttlla 
TOWN   OF  HAMILTON  j 


t  to  the  hch. 


FORTIFIED  HILL  IN  OHIO. 


193 


situation  of  the  works  of  the  late  Indians,  and  also  show  the 
difference  between  their  works  and  those  of  the  Mound-builders. 
It  would  seem  that  a  perfect  network  of  these  defenses  was 
spread  over  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  We  give  a  cut  of 
the  fort  at  Newburgh,  Ohio.  See  Fig.  3.  This  illustrates  the 
style  of  fort.  There  are  many  such  forts  in  Northern  Ohio. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  that  the  defense  consisted  mainly  in 
the  location.  The  walls  were  erected  merely  to  supplement  the 
natural  defense  which  the  rocky  precipices  and  the  isolated 
points  of  land  would  furnish.  But  with  these  inclosures  there 
was  also  the  combination  of  the  outlook.  Dr.  Hill,  of  Ashland, 
O.,  has  given  this  idea  in  his  description  of  his  works  which  are 
situated  in  Ashland  county.  He  says,  that  here  the  forts  are 
within  sight  of  one  another  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
river,  those  prominent 
parts,  or  tongues  of 
land,which  would  give 
distant  views  having 
been  chosen  for  the 
erection  of  forts.  It 
should  be  said  that  this 
part  of  Ohio  abounds 
with  prominent  bluffs, 
whose  precipitous 
heights  furnish  excel 
lent  defense.  The  Hu 
ron  Shale  is  here  worn 
down  by  the  action  of 

water,  leaving  terraces  projecting  out  in  scalloped  form  and  which 
make  a  series  of  level  platiorms,  while  the  circuitious  valleys  be 
low  make  an  open  territory  between  them,  and  thus  fortifications 
could  be  easily  erected,  and  a  complete  system  of  signal  stations 
be  established  along  the  river. 

2.  Another  type  of  stockade  is  common  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  It  is  also  found  in  the  northern  part  of  Ohio,  the  for 
tification  at  Conneaut  being  a  good  specimen.  Here  there  are 
remains  of  stockades,  the  stockades  having  been  placed  on  the 
summits  of  the  hills  where  an  extensive  outlook  could  be  had. 
These  stockades  may  have  so  been  connected  that  a  complete 
system  of  signals  could  be  conducted  across  the  country,  and 
natives  defend  one  another  by  the  combination  of  the  outlook 
with  the  enclosure.  These  ancient  stockades  have  been  de 
scribed  by  E.  G.  Squier,  but  the  connection  between  them  has 
not  been  traced. 

It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  this  State  was  the  seat  of  a  great 
confederacy,  that  of  the  Iroquois,  and  this  renders  it  probable 
that  these  prehistoric  forts  were  connected  by  a  signal  system. 
It  is  known  that  the  Iroquois  had  a  complete  military  organiza- 


194 

tion;  their  central  capital  was  at  Onondaga,  but  there  were  trails 
running  from  this  point  throughout  the  whole  State,  and  the 
villages  were  connected  by  the  trails.  It  is  known  also  that  the 
Iroquois  had  stockades,  and  that  they  defended  themselves 
against  the  whites  by  these  fortifications.  Some  of  the  sites  of 
the  Iroquois  forts  have  been  identified.  The  boundaries  of  the 
different  tribes  are  also  known.  Under  such  an  organization 
the  signal  system  would  come  into  use,  and  we  can  imagine  how 
completely  the  State  was  protected  by  the  combined  watchfulness 
of  the  people  with  the  defenses  offered  by  these  stockade  forts. 

There  are  descriptions  of  the  defenses  of  the  Iroquois  which 
enable  us  to  understand  the  military  architecture  of  the  prehis 
toric  races.  We  give  a  cut  taken  from  the  Documentary  His 
tory  of  New  York,  which  illustrates  the  subject.  It  is  a  picture 
of  a  village  of  the  Onondagas,  attacked  by  Champlain  in  1615. 
See  Plate  IV.  "The  village  was  enclosed  by  strong  quadruple 
palisades  of  large  timber,  thirty  feet  high,  interlocked  the  one 
with  the  other,  with  an  interval  of  not  more  than  a  half  of  a  foot 
between  them,  with  galleries  in  the  form  of  parapets,  defended 
with  double  pieces  of  timber,  proof  against  our  arquebuses,  and 
on  one  side  they  had  a  pond  with  a  never-failing  supply  of  water 
from  which  proceeds  a  number  of  gutters,  which  they  had  laid 
along  the  intermediate  space,  throwing  the  water  without  and 
rendering  it  effectual  inside  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fire." 

The  picture  illustrates  several  points,  (i)  The  villages  were 
frequently  surrounded  by  stockades,  the  houses  within  the  en 
closure  being  arranged  in  blocks.  (2)  The  location  of  the  en 
closure  was  convenient  to  water,  and  attended  with  natural 
defenses.  There  is  no  evidence  of  the  signal  system  in  this  case, 
and  the  use  of  water  in  the  manner  described  is  uncommon 
among  the  northern  races,  though  in  the  southern  states  there 
are  many  cases  where  the  villages  were  surrounded  by  artificial 
ditches  and  ponds  of  water.  (3)  The  manner  of  constructing 
the  wall  which  surrounded  the  defensive  village  enclosures.  We 
call  special  attention  to  the  elevated  platform  or  parapet,  as  it 
may  possibly  help  us  to  understand  the  manner  in  which  the  vil 
lages  of  the  Mound-builders  were  defended.  If  we  substitute 
for  this  timber  wall  a  solid  earth  work,  making  the  top  of  the 
earth  wall  a  platform  or  parapet,  and  place  the  barricade  on  the 
outside,  we  shall  have  a  defense  very  similar  to  this  of  the  Iro 
quois.  The  combination  of  stockade  with  an  earth  wall  would 
thus  make  an  admirable  defense  for  a  village,  and  with  much  less 
expense  of  labor  and  time  than  if  it  were  wholly  of  timber. 

In  reference  to  this  Rev.  William  Beauchamp  advances  the 
idea  that  the  erection  of  earth-walls  as  parapets  preceded  this 
method  of  stockades  with  platforms,  but  that  the  latter  was 
found  to  be  the  easier  method,  so  the  earlier  mode  was  aban 
doned.  A  view  of  one  of  these  stockade  forts  is  given  by  Sir 


195 

William  Dawson  in  his  work  "Fossil  Men."  He  has  given  a 
quotation  from  Carrier's  voyage,  which  describes  this  fort  at 
Hochelaga,  and  has  given  a  cut  of  the  fort  as  it  existed.  Ac 
cording  to  the  cut  the  walls  of  the  fort  were  built  of  round 
trunks  of  trees,  rather  than  of  planks,  but  the  town  was  a  reg 
ular  circle,  with  the  houses  arranged  around  a  square.  "The 
city  ot  Hochelaga  is  round  compassed  about  with  timber,  with 
three  course  of  rampires,  framed  like  a  sharp  spire  or  pyramid. 
It  had  but  one  gate  or  entry,  which  is  shut  with  pikes,  stakes 
and  bars.  Over  it,  and  also  in  many  places  in  the  wall,  there  is 
a  kind  of  gallery  to  run  along  and  a  ladder  to  get  up  with,  and 
all  filled  with  stones  and  pebbles  for  the  defense  of  it.  There 
are  in  the  town  about  fifty  houses,  at  the  utmost  fifty  paces  long 
and  twelve  or  fifteen  broad,  built  all  of  wood  and  covered  with 
bark.  They  have  in  the  middle  of  their  towns  a  large  square 
place,  being  from  side  to  side  a  good  stone's  cast.  They  showed 
us  the  manner  of  their  armor.  They  are  made  of  cordes  and 
wood  finely  wrought  together."  The  diameter  of  this  enclosure 
is  given  as  about  120  yards,  and  each  side  of  the  square  in  the 
center  about  thirty  yards.  It  was  situated  at  the  base  of  Mt. 
Royal,  on  a  terrace  between  two  small  streams.  The  opinion 
is  expressed  that  it  was  intended  to  accommodate  the  whole 
population  in  times  of  danger. 

3.  A  third  class  of  stockades  is  one  which  we  are  now  to  con 
sider.  It  consisted  in  creating  an  enclosure  capable  of  holding 
an  extensive  settlement,  placing  a  heavy  earth  wall  about  the 
enclosure,  and  surmounting  this  by  a  palisade  of  timber.  This 
was  the  common  method  among  the  Mound-builders  of  the 
ruder  class.  There  are  many  such  fortifications  scattered  over 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  Some  are  situated  in  the  prairie  district, 
others  in  the  forest  region.  Many  such  are  found  in  New  York, 
Michigan  and  Southern  Ohio,  but  they  should  be  distinguished 
from  the  regular  Mound-builders'  forts.  The  peculiarity  of  this 
class  of  stockades  was  that  they  were  very  large.  The  area 
within  them  frequently  amounted  to  thirty  or  forty  acres,  though 
twelve  to  fifteen  acres  would  perhaps  be  the  average.  We  may 
take  the  fortified  hill  near  Granville,  Ohio,  as  a  good  specimen 
of  this  class.  It  encloses  the  summit  of  a  high  hill  and  embraces 
not  far  from  eighteen  acres.  The  embankment  is  carried  around 
the  hill  and  conforms  generally  to  its  shape.  The  ditch  is  on 
the  outside  of  the  wall,  the  earth  having  been  thrown  inward. 
There  are  no  palisades  on  the  summit,  but  the  probabilities  are 
that  these  surmounted  the  wall  and  have  perished  Upon  the 
highest  part  of  the  ground  within  the  enclosure  there  is  a  small 
circle,  two  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  within  which  are  two  small 
mounds.  Upon  excavation,  these  mounds  were  found  to  contain 
altars. 

A  fortification  similar  to  this  is  described  by  Squierand  Davis, 


196 

as  existing  near  the  sacred  enclosure  on  the  Scioto  River.  This 
also  had  a  monnd  in  its  center,  and  within  the  mound  an  altar. 
On  this  altar  were  discovered  seme  remarkable  relics.  The 
area  of  this  was  twenty-five  acres.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch, 
and  has  six  gateways.  The  character  of  the  work  resembles 
that  of  an  ordinary  stockade  fort.  The  only  thing  which  would 
identify  it  as  the  work  of  the  Ohio  Mound-builders  is  its  prox 
imity  to  the  sacred  enclosure  called  Mound  City  and  the  fact 
that  it  contained  a  mound  with  a  paved  fire-bed  and  the  remains 
of  a  sacrifice.  The  Granville  works  contained  a  very  large 
mound  in  the  exact  center,  and  yet  had  all  the  characteristics  of 
the  common  stockade.  The  discovery  of  the  paved  altar  in  the 
fort  near  Chillicothe  has  been  interpreted  by  some  as  proving 
the  identity  of  the  Mound-builders  of  Ohio  with  the  stockade- 
builders  of  New  York,  but  in  the  absence  of  other  proof  we  must 
consider  it  a  mere  conjecture.  Stockade  forts  like  these  were 
very  common  throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley,  but  they  are 
generally  ascribed  to  the  later  rather  than  to  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders.  The  prevalence  of  stockade  forts  in  the  midst  of  the 
Ohio  Mound-builders'  works  only  proves  a  succession  of  popu 
lation. 

Descriptions  of  the  stockade  forts  have  been  given  by  Squier 
and  Davis.  We  would  refer  the  reader  to  the  work  by  these 
authors  for  more  definite  information.  Nearly  all  of  these 
have  high  mounds  in  the  interior  of  the  enclosure  or  in  the 
vicinity,  which  vary  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  were 
probably  used  as  lookouts. 

We  give  a  copy  of  the  plate  (see  Fig.  2)  from  the  ''Ancient 
Monuments,"  which  exhibits  a  section  of  six  miles  of  the  Great 
Miami  Valley.  No  less  than  seven  enclosures  are  in  this  space, 
the  most  of  them  forts.  It  will  be  noticed  that,  besides  the  square 
enclosure  (C),  there  are  three  classes  of  stockades,  i.  Those 
which  have  remarkable  gateways  (A).  2.  Those  which  have 
double  walls,  ditches  and  lookout  mounds  (B).  3.  Those  which 
have  single  walls  across  a  promontory  (G).  The  forts  which 
interest  us  are  those  with  the  remarkable  gateways.  Some  of 
them  are  on  the  terraces  near  the  river,  several  are  upon  the  sum 
mit  of  the  bluff  overlooking  the  terraces.  In  area  they  vary  from 
eighteen  to  ninety-five  acres.  We  shall  describe  at  present  only 
a  few  of  these,  the  ones  called  stockades — these  being  the 
largest.  The  fort  marked  A  will  be  described  under  the  head  of 
"Hill  Forts".  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  lookout  mounds 
on  all  of  the  high  hills;  that  the  hill  fort  is  isolated  and  well 
protected  by  walls  on  all  sides ;  that  the  stockade  forts  are  on 
lower  ground  than  the  hill  forts,  being  situated  on  the  terrace, 
near  the  river.  We  make  a  distinction  between  these  forts,  be 
cause  they  seem  to  belong  to  different  periods  and  were  probably 
built  by  different  classes  or  races  of  Mound-builders.  We  take 


197 

the  one  called  the  Colerain,  six  miles  south  of  Hamilton.  It 
encloses  ninety-five  acres.  Its  walls  have  an  average  height  of 
nine  feet.  It  commands  a  large  peninsula,  two  miles  in  circum 
ference,  formed  by  a  singular  bend  in  the  river.  It  is  upon  the 
terrace,  which  is  thirty- five  feet  above  the  river.  Some  distance 
from  the  fort,  and  still  further  to  the  south,  is  a  hill  three  hundred 
feet  high,  upon  the  top  of  which  are  two  mounds  measuring  five 
and  ten  feet  in  height ;  they  are  composed  of  earth  and  stones 
considerably  burned.  There  is  a  ditch  on  the  outside  of  the  wall. 
See  Fig.  4.  At  one  extremity  of  the  works,  the  wall  is  looped, 
forming  a  bastion  of  singular  shape. 

This  fort  is  classed  with  the  stockades.  We  elsewhere  ascribe 
it  to  the  serpent-worshipers,  classing  it  with  the  old  work  at  Fort 
Ancient  and  with  the  fort  near  Hamilton,  and  others.  Our 
reasons  for  so  classing  it  are  as  follows:  i.  Its  great  size.  Squier 
and  Davis  say  that  it  is  a  work  of  the  first  magnitude  and  com 
pare  it  to  Clarke's  Fort,  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek.  2.  The 
unusual  height  of  the  walls — nine  feet — would  indicate  that  it 
was  no  ordinary  stockade.  3.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the  gate 
way.  4.  The  location  of  the  fort.  It  is  on  the  terrace  over 
looking  the  flood  plain.  It  is  not  a  hill  fort,  and  hardly  answers 
to  the  stockade  fort.  It  seems  to  have  been  a  village — perhaps 
a  village  of  the  serpent-worshiping  Mound-builders. 

Two  other  forts,  which  we  class  among  stockades,  may  be  seen 
on  this  map.  One  is  situated  on  the  terrace  near  the  river.  It 
covers  eighteen  acres,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  double  wall,  with 
the  ditch  on  the  inside.  The  peculiarity  of  this  fort  is  that  the 
inner  wall  and  ditch  pass  over  a  large  mound,  which  is  denom 
inated  a  lookout  mound. 

The  next  fort  in  the  series  is  situated  on  the  Big  Miami  River, 
six  miles  south  of  Hamilton.  It  consists  of  a  simple  embank 
ment  of  earth  carried  around  the  brow  of  a  high,  detached  hill, 
overlooking  a  wide  and  beautiful  section  of  the  Miami  Valley. 
The  side  of  the  hill  on  the  north,  towards  the  river,  is  very  abrupt 
and  rises  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the 
valley,  from  which  an  extended  view  may  be  obtained.  There 
are  two  mounds  of  earth  placed  near  together,  on  the  highest 
point  within  the  enclosure,  measuring  ten  feet  in  height.  The 
area  of  this  enclosure  is  twenty-seven  acres. 

Two  other  enclosures  containing  single  walls  and  single  gate 
ways  are  mentioned.  One  on  Four-mile  Creek  contains  twenty- 
five  acres,  and  is  situated  on  a  promontory  formed  by  a  bend  of 
the  creek.  The  other  is  on  Nine-mile  Creek.  Both  of  these 
have  high  mounds  in  the  interior  of  the  enclosure,  varying  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  which  were  probably  used  as  sac 
rificial  or  lookout  mounds. 

Two  other  fortifications  are  mentioned  by  Squier  and  Davis, 


198 

situated  on  the  Miami  River,  one  of  them  two  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  town  of  Piqua.  It  occupies  a  third  terrace,  which  here 
iorms  a  promontory.  It  contains  about  eighteen  acres,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  wall  composed  mainly  of  stone.  The  other  is 
on  the  bank  of  the  Great  Miami,  three  miles  below  Dayton.  It 
resembles  the  one  southwest  ot  Hamilton.  The  side  of  the 
hill  towards  the  river  is  very  steep,  rising  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet.  At  this  point  there  is  a  mound,  which 
commands  a  full  view  of  the  surrounding  country  for  a  long 
distance  up  and  down  the  river.  A  terrace,  apparently  artificial, 
skirts  the  hill  thirty  feet  below  the  embankment.  The  terrace 
may  be  natural,  but  it  has  all  the  regularity  of  a  work,  and  may 
be  compared  to  the  work  at  Fort  Ancient. 


Fig,  i^.—The  Works  at  Colerain. 

The  next  fort  which  we  shall  mention  is  also  situated  on  the 
Miami.  Fig.  5.  It  corresponds  in  all  essential  particulars  with 
those  already  described,  with  the  exception  of  the  gateway.  It 
occupies  the  summit  of  a  promontory  bordering  the  river,  which 
upon  three  sides  presents  high  and  steep  natural  banks,  rendered 
more  secure  lor  purpose  of  defense  by  artificial  embankments. 
The  remaining  side  is  defended  by  a  wall  and  ditch,  and  it  is 
from  this  side  only  that  the  work  is  easy  of  approach.  The 
most  interesting  feature  in  connection  with  this  work  is  the  en 
trance  on  the  south.  The  ends  ot  the  wall  curve  inwardly  as 
they  approach  each  other,  upon  a  radius  of  seventy-five  feet, 
forming  a  true  circle,  interrupted  only  by  the  gateways.  Within 
the  space  thus  formed  is  a  small  circle,  one  hundred  feet  in  diam 
eter;  outside  of  which,  and  covering  the  gateway,  is  a  mound 


199 

(e),  forty  feet  in  diameter  and  five  feet  high.  The  passage  be 
tween  the  mound  and  the  embankment,  and  between  the  walls 
of  the  circles,  is  now  about  six  feet  wide.  The  gateway  or 
opening  (d)  is  twenty  feet  wide.  This  singular  entrance,  it  will 
be  remarked,  strongly  resembles  the  gateways  belonging  to  a 
work  to  be  described  under  the  head  of  stone  forts,  although 
much  more  regular  in  its  construction.  The  ditches  (f  f )  which 
accompany  the  walls  on  the  south  subside  into  the  ravines  upon 
either  side.  These  ravines  are  not  far  from  sixty  feet  deep  and 


Fig.  5.— Works  near  Hamilton,  Ohio. 

have  precipitous  sides.  The  area  of  the  work  is  seventeen 
acres.  The  valley  beyond  the  river  is  broad,  and  in  it  are 
many  traces  of  remote  population,  of  which  this  work  was 
probably  the  fortress  or  place  ot  last  resort  during  turbulent 
periods.  ^The  gateway  of  this  enclosure  resembles  serpents' 
heads,  and  reminds  one  of  the  entrance  to  the  lower  enclosure 
of  Fort  Ancient. 

III.  We  now  turn  to  the  third  method  of  defense.  This  con 
sists  in  the  selection  of  some  "stronghold"  of  nature  and  there 
placing  a  fortification,  walls  of  earth  being  placed  on  the  sum 
mit  of  the  precipice  as  a  supplement  to  the  natural  defense,  the 
whole  designed  to  be  a  place  of  retreat  in  time  of  danger.  To 
understand  clearly  the  nature  of  the  works,  it  should  be  remem 
bered  that  the  banks  of  the  rivers  are  always  steep,  and  where 
these  are  located  they  are  invariably  high.  The  edges  of  the 


200 

table  lands  bordering  on  the  valleys  are  cut  by  a  thousand  ra 
vines,  presenting  bluffs,  high  hills,  steep  and  detached  and  iso 
lated  heights  with  steep  sides,  and  cliffs  which  are  precipitous 
and  often  absolutely  inaccessible.  The  natural  strength  of  such 
positions  certainly  suggest  them  as  the  citadels  of  the  people 
having  hostile  neighbors  or  pressed  by  invaders.  Accordingly 
we  are  not  surprised  to  find  these  heights  occupied  bv  strong 
and  complicated  works,  the  design  of  which  is  no  less  indicated 
by  their  position  than  by  their  construction. 

Here  let  us  say  that  these  fortifications  are  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  walled  towns  or  villages  so  common  in  certain  parts  of 
the  country,  especially  in  Southern  Ohio.  In  reference  to  this 
we  are  to  notice  (i)  that  the  fortifications  are  always  placed  on 
high  and  steep  hills.  Their  walls  always  take  the  form  of  the 
outline  of  the  hill,  and  hence  are  more  or  less  irregular  in  shape, 
as  they  enclose  the  whole  top  of  a  hill  and  conform  to  the  shape 
of  the  hill  in  contour.  The  walled  villages  are  more  regular. 
They  are  usually  found  on  a  level  plain,  one  of  the  river  benches 
or  terraces,  and  have  no  natural  barriers  to  prevent  the  regular 
ity  of  their  shape.  The  square  and  circle  predominate,  and  are 
often  found  united  in  a  seemingly  arbitrary  manner.  (2.)  In 
point  of  size,  the  fortifications  vary  greatly.  Some  of  them 
contain  onlv  a  few  acres;  others  contain  from  one  hundred  to 
four  hundred  acres.  The  fortified  villages  are,  however,  quite 
uniform;  the  area  varying  from  eighteen  to  fifty  acres,  but  the 
majority  containing  about  twenty-seven  acres.  (3.)  The  posi 
tion  of  the  ditch,  whether  inside  or  outside  of  the  vallum  or 
wall,  is  to  be  noticed.  At  one  time  it  was  thought  that  all 
works  which  had  the  ditch  on  the  inside  were  sacred  enclos 
ures,  while  those  which  had  the  ditch  outside  were  fortifications 
belonging  to  the  Indians.  There  is,  however,  no  uniformity. 
The  material  taken  from  the  ditch  was  placed  in  the  embank 
ments,  and  in  cases  of  fortifications  on  the  hilltops  it  would  be 
a  matter  of  necessity  that  the  ditch  should  be  on  the  inside,  the 
excavations  or  pits  from  which  the  dirt  was  scraped  being  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  wall.  The  forts  are  found  on  the 
tops  of  the  highest  hills.  They  were  sometimes  surrounded  by 
stone  walls  and  sometimes  by  earth  embankments,  according  to 
the  convenience  or  abundance  of  the  material  furnished  by  the 
locality.  (4.)  Mound-buiiders'  forts  in  Ohio  were  characterized 
by  much  engineering  skill,  and  are  distinguished  from  later 
Indian  forts  by  this  circumstance.  Some  of  the  Mound-builders 
built  their  forts  very  large  and  placed  elaborate  and  complicated 
walls  at  their  gateways,  exercising  much  military  skill  in  erect 
ing  the  walls  and  planning  outworks  which  would  furnish  the 
best  protection.  Others  erected  only  rude  earth  walls,  took  no 
pains  with  their  gateways  and  exercised  little  skill  in  their  con 
struction.  There  are  many  such  fortifications. 

This  class  of  defenses  we  have  called  "  hill  forts."     This  term  we 


EABTH  FOBT  IN  HIGHLAND  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


201 

use  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  rather  than  for  its  accuracy. 
Nearly  all  the  forts  are  situated  upon  hills,  but  the  "hill  forts" 
technically  so  called,  are  different  from  the  ordinary  class.  Their 
strength  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  hill  upon  which  they  are 
placed  is  itself  a  stronghold.  The  artificial  wall  placed  upon 
the  hilltop  is  only  supplementary  to  the  defenses  of  nature.  The 
"  hill  forts"  so  called  are  very  common  in  Southern  Ohio.  They 
are  found  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Miami  River,  on  Brush 
Creek,  on  Paint  Creek  and  in  many  other  localities.  Some  of 
the  largest  forts  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  are  included  in  this 
class.  Descriptions  of  "hill  forts"  have  been  given  by  Squier 
and  Davis  ;  we  shall  draw  from  them  our  information. 

1.  The  first  fort  which  we  shall  describe  is  called  Fort  Hill. 
"It  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Highland  County,  thirty 
miles  from  Chillicothe.     The  defensive  works  occupy  the  sum 
mit  of  a  hill  five  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  Brush  Creek  and 
eight  hundred  feet  above  the  Ohio  River.     The  hill  stands  iso 
lated,  and  is  a  conspicuous  object  from  every  approach.     Its  sides 
are  precipitous.     The  fort  has  an  area  of  forty* eight  acres.    Run 
ning  along  the  edge  of  the  hill  is  an  embankment  of  mingled 
earth  and  stone,  interrupted  at   intervals  by  gateways.      The 
length  of  the  wall  is  8,224  ^eet — something  over  a  mile  and  a 
half.     The  ditch  on  the  inside  has  an  average  width  of  fifty 
feet.     The  height  of  the  wall,  measuring  from  the  bottom  of  the 
ditch,  varies  from  six  to  ten  feet,  but  rises  in  places  to  fifteen 
feet.     There  are  thirty-three  gateways,  most  of  them  not  exceed 
ing  twenty  feet  in  width.     Considered  in  a  military  point  of  view 
the  spot  is  well  chosen  and  well  guarded,  and  may  be  regarded 
as  nearly  impregnable  and  as  a  natural  stronghold.     It  has  few 
equals.     The  degree  of  skill  displayed  and  the  amount  of  labor 
expended  in  constructing  its  artificial  defenses  challenge  our 
admiration  and  excite  our  surprise.     The  evidence  of  antiquity 
is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.     The  crumbling  trunks 
of  trees  and  the  size  of  the  trees  which  are  still  living  would 
lead  irresistibly  to  the  conclusion  that  it  has  an  antiquity  of  at 
least  one  thousand  years."     Plate  V. 

2.  We  turn  to  the  works  at  Fort  Ancient.     This  is  a  remarka 
ble  specimen  of  a  "  hill  fort."*     Here  is  an  enclosure  capable 
of  holding  an  extensive  settlement,  the  walls  being  nearly  three 
miles  and  a  half  in  extent,  and  the  area  of  the  enclosure  being 
about   one   hundred    acres.      We   see   also  an   outwork,   con 
sisting  of  a  covered  way.  which  runs  from  the  enclosure  toward 
the  east.     This  outwork  is  distinguished  by  one  feature:     At 
the  end  of  the  covered  way  is  an  observatory  mound.     The  sup 
position  is  that  this  observatory  was  the  place  where  a  watchman 
was  stationed,  but  that  the  distance  was  so  great  that  the  com- 

*The  book  on  Fort  Ancient  by  W.  K.  Moorehead  is  the  best  authority. 


202 

munication  might  be  cut  off,  and  that  the  parallel  walls  were  con 
structed  so  as  to  give  protection  to  the  sentinel  and  to  keep  up 
a  communication.  The  country  about  the  enclosure,  especially 
that  to  the  east,  is  open  prairie  and  has  no  natural  defense.  This 
wall  is  2,760  feet  in  length.  The  original  height  of  this  wall  is 
not  known,  as  cultivation  of  the  soil  has  nearly  obliterated  it 
Two  high  mounds  are  found  between  the  enclosure  and  the 
covered  way,  making  a  double  opening  to  the  enclosure,  and,  at. 
the  same  time,  giving  an  outlook  from  this  point.  The  enclos 
ure  itself  is  remarkably  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  defense. 
See  Fig.  6. 

(l)  Its  situation  is  to  be  first  observed.  It  is  on  top  of  a  promon 
tory  defended  by  two  ravines,  which  sweep  around  it  to  either 
side,  forming  precipitous  banks,  in  places  200  feet  high.  The 
ravines  are  occupied  by  small  streams,  with  the  Miami  River 
close  by,  and  below  the  works,  on  the  west  side.  The  hill  upon 
which  it  is  located  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  peninsular,  its 
summit  being  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
Little  Miami.  On  the  verge  of  the  ravine  the  embankment  is 
raised,  and  winds  around  the  spurs  and  re-enters  to  pass  the 
heads  of  gullies,  and  in  several  places  it  is  carried  down  into 
ravines  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  deep. 

(2.)  The  Walls. — The  fortification  is  a  strong  one.  Where 
the  work  is  most  exposed  to  an  enemy  it  is  of  the  greatest  solid 
ity  and  strength.  At  the  isthmus  the  walls  are  twenty  feet  high. 
Where  the  Chillicothe  road  enters  from  the  west  the  walls  are 
fourteen  feet  high  and  sixty  feet  base.  There  are  over  seventy 
gateways.  These  openings  appear  to  have  been  originally  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  in  width.  It  has  been  suggested  that  some  of 
these  gateways  were  once  occupied  by  block  houses  or  bastions. 
Although  the  wall  is  chiefly  built  of  earth  gathered  from  the 
adjacent  surface  and  from  the  interior  ditch,  it  is  partially  under 
lined  with  stone.  One  of  the  most  interesting  facts  is  the  differ 
ent  methods  adopted  for  defending  the  more  easy  approaches. 
Here  the  wall  is  of  ordinary  height,  but  the  ridge  immediately 
outside  is  cut  down  several  feet,  so  as  to  present  a  steep  slope. 
This  gives  the  appearance  of  a  terrace  a  few  feet  below  the  wall, 
In  reference  to  the  terrace,  there  are  important  features,  The 
isthmus  just  north  of  the  so-called  large  mounds  is  undefended. 
This  fact,  as  well  as  the  difference  in  the  construction  of  the 
walls  of  the  different  parts,  has  led  certain  persons  to  the  con 
clusion  that  there  were  two  forts,  oue  called  the  "  old"  fort  and 
the  other  the  "  new". 

(3.)  The  Terraces. — One  terrace  is  located  in  the  wildest  re 
gion.  It  is  situated  in  the  southeast  portion  of  the  old  fort.  The 
terrace  is  covered  with  stone  graves,  the  contents  and  construc 
tion  of  which  have  been  described  by  Mr.  Warren  K.  Moore- 
head.  At  the  southwest  there  are  two  large  terraces,  between 


203 


the  top  and  bottom  of  the  hill.  These  terraces  are  supposed  by 
many  to  have  been  merely  natural,  but  by  Squier  and  Davis, 
Moorehead  and  others  they  are  thought  to  be  artificial.  It  has 


been  suggested  that  they  were  designed  as  stations  from  which 
to  annoy  an  enemy.  Mr.  Moorehead  dwells  upon  the  terraces 
of  the  region,  maintaining  that  they  are  all  artificial.  He  gives 
the  entire  length  of  these  terraces  as  amounting  to  ten  miles. 
They  are  from  twenty  to  twenty- five  feet  wide,  and  run  along  the 


204 

hillsides  with  surprising  regularity  of  height,  and  have  the  ap 
pearance  of  structures  designed  for  a  purpose. 

(4.)  The  gateways  of  Fort  Ancient  are  among  its  most  import 
ant  features.  There  are  seventy-four  of  these,  and  they  differ 
greatly  in  their  dimensions.  Some  of  them  are  thirty  feet  wide 
at  the  top  and  ten  feet  at  the  base ;  others  are  twenty  feet  at  the 
top  and  five  feet  at  the  base.  The  wall  of  either  side  is  always 
sloping.  In  many  places  there  are  large  quantities  of  stone  at 
the  ends  of  the  walls.  These  stones  lie  in  a  confused  mass,  but 
it  is  supposed  that  they  were  used  as  a  wall  to  hold  and  strengthen 
the  embankment.  The  position  of  the  gateways  is  also  to  be 
noticed.  It  appears  that  some  of  them  open  out  upon  the  ter 
races;  others  open  to  the  road  leading  down  the  hill,  which  is 
now  occupied  by  the  pike.  One  to  the  east  opens  out  to  the 
prairie  region,  but  it  is  guarded  by  two  conical  mounds,  and  in 
stead  of  furnishing  a  passage-way  to  the  open  country,  only  leads 
to  the  long,  narrow  covered  way  which  extends  from  this  point 
to  the  east. 

The  Great  Gateway. — The  gateway  is  situated  between  the 
two  forts.  Here  two  mounds  about  twenty  feet  high  and  ten 
feet  apart  leave  just  space  enough  for  a  wagon  to  pass  between 
them.  At  their  base  is  a  raised  platform  four  feet  in  height. 
When  examined  it  was  found  to  contain  many  human  bones. 
Outside  of  the  gateway,  in  the  space  between  the  two  forts,  for  a 
considerable  distance,  there  is  no  embankment,  the  ravines  here 
having  a  steep  angle  and  coming  very  near  together,  so  as  to 
make  a  narrow  passage  way.  All  about  this  gateway  are  masses 
of  stone.  These  must  have  been  piled  up  in  the  form  of  a  rude 
wall  to  strengthen  the  base  of  the  embankment.  Here  the  em 
bankment  is  the  steepest  of  the  entire  earth-work.  The  stones 
are  on  the  outside  of  the  wall  .  "From  the  great  gateway  the  two 
walls  which  constitute  the  old  fort  greatly  diverge.  The  wall 
running  east  swings  around  to  the  south;  the  other  wall  runs  in 
a  very  irregular  manner  and  is  more  tortuous  than  any  other 
portion  of  the  entire  structure."  This  is  the  place  where  we 
recognize  the  snake  effigy. 

Other  gateways  are  found  at  intervals  on  the  different  sides  of 
the  fort.  The  supposition  of  Squier  and  Davis  is  that  some  of 
these  were  formerly  occupied  by  bastions  and  block  houses.  The 
so-called  east  gateway  is  the  one  which  forms  the  direct  entrance. 
It  is  a  remarkable  feature  of  the  fort.  It  consists  of  two  large 
conical  mounds,  which  seem  to  have  been  placed  at  the  openings 
both  as  guards  and  as  lookouts.  The  dimensions  of  these 
mounds  is  givert  as  twelve  feet  in  height  and  eighty  feet  in  diam 
eter.  Between  these  two  mounds  is  a  pavement  laid  with  lime 
stone.  The  use  of  the  pavement  is  conjectural.  Some  of  the 
stones  give  evidence  of  having  been  subjected  to  the  action  of 
fire.  The  area  of  the  pavement  is  said  to  be  130x500  feet. 


205 

(5.)  The  Covered  Ways. — Running  due  northeast  from  these 
two  mounds  are  two  parallel  walls  or  embankments,  about  a  foot 
in  height  and  twelve  feet  wide.  They  run  for  a  distance  of  2760 
feet  and  terminate  by  enclosing  a  small  mound,  about  three  feet 
high.  They  are  130  feet  apart.  A  suggestion  has  been  made 
in  reference  to  these,  that  they  were  used  as  a  race-ground,  and 
that  the  wall  at  the  end  was  the  goal  or  turning  point.  Our 
conjecture  is  that  the  mound  was  a  lookout  station,  and  that  the 
walls  were  designed  to  protect  the  sentinels  and  to  keep  open 
communication  between  the  fort  and  signal  station. 

(6)  The  Isthmus. — The  division  of  the  fort  into  two  enclos 
ures  has  been  noticed.  A  peninsula  joins  the  two  forts.  This 
has  been  called  the  "isthmus."  The  isthmus,  however,  seems  to 
be  a  sort  of  middle  fort.  Here  we  find  crescent-shaped  embank 
ments  on  one  side  and  a  great  gateway  on  the  other.  "The  space 
is  well  enclosed,  and  is  one  of  the  strongest  positions  of  the  en 
tire  fortification."  The  crescent  gateway,  on  account  of  its  beauty 
and  the  curve  of  its  walls,  may  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  the 
new  fort.  The  other  so-called  gateway  may  be  regarded  as  be 
longing  to  the  old  fort.  Here  the  question  of  symbolism  comes 
in.  We  have  said  that  the  walls  of  the  old  fort  resemble  two 
massive  serpents,  and  that  the  mounds  at  the  end,  which  consti 
tute  the  sides  of  the  gateway,  represented  the  heads  of  the 
serpents.  We  now  maintain  that  the  crescents  forming  the 
gateway  to  the  middle  fort  were  also  symbolic,  and  at  the  isth 
mus  we  find  the  clue  to  the  character  of  the  builders  of  the  two 
forts.  There  is  a  crescent-shaped  embankment  near  the  western 
opening  to  the  new  fort.  This  we  also  regard  as  symbolic.  We 
conjecture  that  the  new  fort  was  erected  by  the  sun-worshipers 
and  the  old  fort  by  the  serpent-worshipers.* 

(7.)  In  reference  to  the  old  enclosure,  it  appears  almost  certain 
that  a  large  village  once -flourished  within  this  fort.  The  wall  is 
much  more  irregular  than  in  the  new  fort.  The  terrace  on  the 
east  side  of  the  gateway  has  many  stone  graves.  The  stone 
graves  are  generally  outside  of  the  walls.  "The  terraces  on  the 
west  side  have  scattered  graves  on  them."  Large  quantities  of 
stone  were  placed  over  the  graves,  one  hundred  wagon-loads  in 
one  place  and  forty  in  another.  In  the  river  valley  below  Fort 
Ancient  was  a  village  site.  Ash-heaps  were  discovered  here, 
and  also  many  relics  of  a  rude  population.  Five  feet  of  earth 
were  above  the  lowest  site  of  the  village.  Well  preserved  skele 
tons  have  been  found.  "Three  village  periods  have  been  recog 
nized,  and  the  mingling  of  two  races  seems  to  be  indicated  by 
the  relics."  The  new  fort  was  evidently  built  by  a  people  more 
advanced  than  those  of  the  old  fort.  The  walls  are  much  more 
skillfully  constructed,  have  more  perpendicular  sides,  sharper 
angles,  wider  gateways,  and  give  more  evidence  of  workmanship. 

Illustrations  of  the  different  parts  of  this  fort  are  given  by  Mr.  W.  K.  Moorehead 


206 

3.  The  fortified  hill  in  Butler  County  is  another  specimen  of  a 
"  Hill  Fort".  This  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Great 
Miami  River,  three  miles  below  the  Hamilton.  The  hill  is  not 
far  from  two  hundred  feet  high,  surrounded  on  all  points  by 
deep  ravines,  presenting  steep  and  almost  inaccessible  declivi 
ties,  skirting  the  brow  of  the  hill  and  conforming  to  its  outline. 
Its  wall  is  ot  mingled  earth  and  stone,  having  an  average  height 
of  five  feet,  by  thirty-five  feet  base.  The  wall  is  interrupted  by 
four  gateways  or  passages,  each  twenty  feet  wide.  They  are 
protected  by  inner  lines  of  embankments  of  a  most  singular  and 
intricate  description. 

The  gateways  in  this  fort  are  its  distinguishing  peculiarity. 
It  will  be  noticed  from  the  plate  that  they  occur  where  the  spurs 
of  the  hill  are  cut  off  by  the  wall  or  parapet  and  where  the  de 
clivity  is  the  least  abrupt.  Two  of  them  have  the  inner  walls 
arranged  after  the  same  manner,  with  re-entering  angles,  curved 
walls,  narrow  passage-ways,  excavations  in  the  passage-ways. 
It  will  be  noticed  also  that  there  are  stone  mounds  on  the  sum 
mit  of  the  hill  near  the  gateways. 

This  style  of  gateway  has  been  called  the  Tiascalan,  as  it  is 
common  among  the  Tlascalans  and  the  Aztecs.  The  ends  of 
the  wall  overlap  each  other,  in  the  form  of  semi-circles  having 
a  common  center.  The  northern  gateway  is  especially  worthy 
of  notice.  The  principal  approach  is  guarded  by  a  mound, 
which  was  used  perhaps  as  an  alarm  post.  A  crescent  wall  or 
embankment  crosses  the  isthmus,  leaving  narrow  passages  be 
tween  its  ends  and  the  declivity.  Next  comes  the  principal 
wall  of  the  enclosure.  Within  this  are  two  crescent-shaped 
embankments,  placed  between  two  prolongations  of  the  walls, 
making  a  series  of  defenses  so  complicated  as  to  distract  and 
bewilder  the  assailants. 

The  stone  mounds  or  beacons  are  to  be  noticed  in  this  con 
nection.  These  mounds  are  placed  on  the  summit  of  the  hill 
at  the  very  entrance  of  the  gateways.  Similar  stone  mounds 
are  found  elsewhere,  and  they  form  a  striking  feature  of  the 
"  Hill  Forts".  It  is  probable  that  they  were  used  as  beacons 
and  that  fires  were  lighted  upon  them. 

The  height  of  the  ground  is  also  to  be  noticed.  It  gradually 
rises  from  the  interior  to  the  height  of  twenty-six  feet  above  the 
base  of  the  wall,  and  overlooks  the  entire  adjacent  country.  In 
the  vicinity  ot  this  work  are  a  number  of  others  occupying  the 
valley.  The  location  of  this  fort  will  be  seen  by  a  study  of  the 
map  of  the  works  on  the  Great  Miami. 

4.  Another  "  Hill  Fort"  that  may  be  mentioned  is  represented 
on  the  same  map.  It  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami,  six 
miles  from  Hamilton.  It  occupies  the  summit  of  a  steep,  iso 
lated  hill,  and  consists  of  a  wall  composed  of  earth  thrown  from 
the  interior.  The  three  sides  are  as  nearly  perpendicular  as 
they  could  be.  The  wall  corresponds  to  the  outline  of  the  hill, 


207 

but  it  cuts  off  a  spur,  leaving  a  promontory  outside  the  walls. 
On  this  promontory  is  a  mound,  corresponding  in  its  purpose 
with  that  which  guards  the  principal  avenue  in  the  fortified  hill 
just  described.  This  fort  was  visited  by  Gen.  Harrison  and  was 
regarded  by  him  as  admirably  designed  for  defense,  exhibiting 
extraording  military  skill  and  as  a  citadel  to  be  compared  to  the 
Acropolis  at  Athens. 

5.  Two  "Hill  Forts"  remain  to  be  described.  One  of  these 
is  situated  on  the  Big  Twin,  near  Farmersville.  It  has  been  de 
scribed  by  Mr.  S.  H.  Brinkley.  Its  form  is  an  irregular  triangle, 


L. 


SURVIYID.  is/5  By  S.H.B..  ^SSISTED  ey  c.r  BLOSSOM 


Fig.  7.— Farmersville  Fort. 

two  sides  resting  upon  the  margins  of  wide  ravines,  the  third 
on  the  Big  Twin.  The  wall  extends  along  the  edge  of  the 
ravine;  it  is  five  feet  high  and  forty  feet  wide;  is  flanked  by  a 
ditch  on  the  inside.  The  entire  length  is  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  feet.  There  are  three  enclosures  within  this  fort;  two  in 
the  shape  of  horse-shoes;  the  third  is  a  small  circle.  One  of 
the  horse-shoe  enclosures  has  a  diameter  of  three  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  north  and  south,  four  hundred  feet  east  and  west. 
The  diameter  of  the  other  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet 
and  one  hundred  in  width.  The  circle  is  but  twenty-five  feet 
in  diameter.  It  is  placed  at  the  entrance  of  tne  larger  enclosure, 
which  is  here  forty  feet  wide.  See  Fig.  7. 

These  remarkable  enclosures  have  been  excavated  and  found 
to  contain  fire-beds  or  hearths  filled  with  charcoal  and  ashes. 


208 

The  supposition  is  that  these  hearths  marked  the  sites  of  lodges. 
The  shape  of  the  enclosure  is  remarkable.  It  reminds  us  of  the 
horse-shoes  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio.  What  is  strange  is  that  a 
stone  object  wrought  out  of  dark  shale,  with  an  exact  represen 
tation  of  a  horse-shoe  upon  it,  was  found  in  an  adjacent  field. 

The  gateway  to  the  horse-shoe  enclosure  is  noticeable.  It  is 
an  exact  circle  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter.  This  circle  was 
placed  at  the  entrance  of  the  enclosure,  partially  filling  the 
space,  the  entire  opening  being  forty  feet;  but  the  circle  took 
a  little  more  than  twenty-five  feet,  leaving  a  space  or  passage 
way  on  either  side  of  it.  Mr.  Brinkley's  idea  is  that  the  circle 
was  the  council  house  and  that  the  horse-shoe  enclosure  was  the 
place  of  residence.  This  is  plausible,  and  yet  it  is  the  only  en 
closure  of  the  kind  which  hasten  discovered.  The  other  fort 
which  Mr.  Brinkley  has  described  is  also  situated  on  the  Big 
Twin,  a  tributary  of  the  Great  Miami.  Its  location  is  on  a  hill 
or  bluff  near  Carlisle,  so  it  has  been  called  Carlisle  Fort.  See 
Fig.  8.  The  work  comprises  two  distinct  enclosures.  The 
eastern  division  contains  about  nine  acres,  the  western  about  six 
acres;  the  eastern  division  is  protected  by  the  precipitous  bluffs 
which  border  upon  the  Big  Twin,  or  rather  which  overlook  the 
bottom  lands  or  terrace  of  the  Big  Twin.  On  the  north  and 
south  there  are  deep  ravines,  which  protect  it  on  those  sides. 
The  space  between  the  two  enclosures  is  made  secure  by  a  re 
markable  combination  ot  walls  in  the  form  of  a  symetncal  cres 
cent,  three  successive  lines  stretching,  in  graceful  bends,  from 
one  ravine  to  the  other,  leaving  a  space  between  of  forty  feet 
and  sixty-five  feet,  measured  at  the  middle  point.  The  inner 
wall  is  continued  along  the  crest  of  the  ravine,  and  forms  a  cir- 
cumvallation  for  the  fort.  The  length  of  the  crescent-shaped 
wall  is  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet;  the  height  was  origi 
nally  about  five  feet.  The  western  enclosure  is  protected  by  a 
ravine  which  passes  around  three  sides  of  it.  On  the  summit, 
overlooking  this,  there  is  a  circumvallation,  which  is  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  length  and  encloses  about  six  acres. 
At  a  point  between  the  two  forts  there  is  a  ravine  which  parti 
ally  separates  them,  but  from  which  a  spring  flows  into  the 
bottom  land.  Above  this  ravine  is  a  wall,  which  protects  the 
western  fort,  and  near  the  wall  two  circular  enclosures,  which 
seem  to  have  formed  guards  to  the  gateway  or  entrance  to  the 
fort,  though  they  may  have  had  connection  with  the  spring  be 
low.  In  the  eastern  division  there  was  a  stone  enclosure,  sev 
enty-eight  feet  in  length  and  forty-five  feet  in  breadth,  in  the 
shape  of  a  horse  shoe,  with  a  return  at  each  corner,  leaving  an 
open  space  one-third  of  the  width,  fronting  the  east.  The  ob 
ject  of  this  horse-shoe  enclosure  is  unknown.  Mr.  Brinkley 
thinks  it  was  the  foundation  of  a  building,  but  of  this  there  are 
no  proofs.  We  would  here  call  attention  to  the  resemblance  of 
Carlisle  Fort  to  that  at  Fort  Ancient.  It  is  a  double  fort,  the 


STONE  FORT  IN  BOSS  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


tSNIVEKSITT 


209 


two  enclosures  being  separated  by  an  isthmus,  guarded  by  triple 
crescent-shaped  walls.  The  entrance  to  this  fort  is  by  a  path 
consisting  of  a  most  delightful  promenade,  which  leads  by  an 
easy  grade  from  the  fort  to  the  terrace.  "The  promenade  is 
located  on  a  ridge,  but  improved  by  the  plastic  hand  of  man." 
This  promenade  is  on  the  side  which  leads  to  the  Big  Twin.  One 
remarkable  feature  of  this  gateway  is  that  near  it  there  was  a 
signal  station  or 
lookout  mound  and 
not  far  from  the 
mound  a  pavement 
or  fire-bed,  beneath 
which  were  traces 
of  fire. 

This  hearth  or 
fire-bed  is  worthy 
of  notice.  The  evi 
dence  is  that  here, 
as  at  the  Farmers- 
ville  Fort,  there 
were  fire  signals. 
The  walls  near  the 
gateway  show  this 
as  well  as  the  pave 
ment.  Near  the 
Big  Twin  works 
there  was  a  trun 
cated  mound  thir 
teen  feet  high  and 
a  pavement  ninety 
feet  square.  Near 
this  pavement  were 
ashpiles,  which  had 
been  poured  over 
the  sides  of  the  clift, 
until  they  had  at 
tained  a  depth  of 
ten  feet.  The  sym- 
bolism  connected  with  these  forts  is  somewhat  remarkable. 
Here  we  have  the  fire  at  one  end  of  the  fort  and  the  water  sup 
ply  at  the  other;  the  hearths  or  pavements  connected  with  one 
and  circles  connected  with  the  other.  The  horse-shoe  symbol 
is  contained  in  the  shape  of  the  bluff  itself  and  in  the  stone  en 
closure  on  -he  summit  of  the  bluff. 

IV.  We  now  come  to  another  class  of  strongholds,  namely 
the  "Stone  Forts."  These  forts  resemble  the  "Hill  Forts"  and 
may,  by  some,  be  regarded  as  identical.  We  classify  the 
stone  forts  separately.  Our  reasons  for  so  doing  are  as  fol 
lows:  (i)  They  seem  to  be  more  advanced  in  their  style*  and 


CARLISLE  .  F.DRTL 
AS.  IT._A0PEARED.IN,I835.BYSHB 


210 

mode  of  construction.  Wherever  they  are  located  they  are 
always  characterized  by  the  same  feature.  They  are  generally 
situated  on  eminences,  where  there  are  rocky  precipices.  (2.)  In 
several  cases  the  precipices  are  veneered  with  artificial  walls 
which  make  a  barrier  against  the  wash  of  streams  and  furnish 
a  foundation  to  the  walls  above.  (2.)  The  gateways  of  the  stone 
forts  are  frequently  quite  elaborate.  The  wall  is  generally 
four  or  five  feet  high  and  varies  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  wide 
at  the  base.  It  is  sometimes  laid  up  in  regular  order,  making  a 
smooth  even  front  with  sharp  angles,  but  generally  is  merely  in 
the  form  of  an  irregular  pile  of  stone,  and  resembles  an  earth 
wall,  except  that  the  material  is  different.  The  question  has 
arisen  whether  the  wall  was  surmounted  by  a  stockade;  on  this 
point  there  is  uncertainty.  The  stone  walls  generally  conform 
to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  Stones  were  employed  because 
they  could  be  readily  procured,  although  the  hammer  had  noth 
ing  to  do  with  the  preparation  of  the  materials,  yet  there  is 
evidence  of  great  labor  and  the  place  of  location  is  selected 
with  a  military  eye.* 

The  stone  forts  may  properly  be  considered  as  belonging  to 
the  village  Mound-builders,  and  perhaps  were  designed  as  es 
pecial  retreats  for  the  villagers.  It  will  be  noticed,  at  least,  that 
in  Ohio  this  kind  of  fort  is  frequently  situated  in  the  midst  of 
square  enclosures,  so  giving  evidence  that  they  were  built  by 
the  same  people.f  In  the  Miami  Valley  there  is  a  square  en 
closure  on  the  terrace,  and  the  fort  is  on  the  hill  near  by.  So 
with  the  fort  at  Bourneville.  This  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
valley  of  Paint  Creek,  and  was  surrounded  by  enclosures,  which 
we  have  imagined  to  be  villages  of  the  sun-worshipers.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  fort  on  Massie's  Creek,  near  the  Big  Miami 
River.  The  stone  fort  near  Manchester.  Tennessee,  and  that  of 
Duck  Creek,  of  the  same  state,  may  be  regarded  as  specimens; 
yet  these  were  located  near  the  walled  villages  of  the  Stone- 
grave  people  and  may  have  been  built  by  that  people.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  stone  fort  ot  Southern  Indiana.  This 
last  fort  was  located  on  the  Ohio,  somewhat  remote  from  the 
region  of  the  "sacred  enclosure,"  so  called,  but  there  are  on 
the  White  River  many  earth-works  which  resemble  those  on 
the  Scioto,  and  so  we  place  this  stone  fort  among  the  works  of 
the  sun-worshipers. 

The  subject  of  symbolism  comes  in  here.  It  is  to  be  noticed 
that  two  of  the  forts — Bourneville  and  Massie's  Creek,  in  South 
ern  Ohio — have  walls  in  the  shape  of  crescents,  with  mounds 
between  the  walls.  Our  conjecture  is  that  these  were  designed 
as  symbols.  This  last  fort  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  hill-top,  but 
is  attended  with  a  large  square  enclosure  situated  in  the  valley. 
The  fort  has  a  series  of  gateways  guarded  by  conical  mounds, 

*Haywood's  Tennessee. 

tSee  map  of  Miami  Valley;  also  of  Paint  Creek  and  the  Scioto. 


211 

and  an  outer  wall,  divided  into  four  sections,  in  the  shape  of 
crescents.  See  Fig.  9.  The  enclosure  [is  nearly  square,  and 
is  attended  with  several  earth  embankments,  which  are  also  in 
the  shape  of  crescents.  The  impression  gained  is  that  here 
was  a  settlement  of  sun-worshipers. 

The  difference  in  the  symbolism  of  the  forts  is  to  be  noticed 
in  this  connection.  The  Hill  Forts,  if  they  contain  any  symbol 
ism,  contain  that  of  serpent-worship;  but  the  Stone  Forts  illus 
trate  the  symbolism  of  the  sun-worshipers.  The  Hill  Forts 
were  generally  located  in  a  wild  or  rough  hill  country — a  coun 
try  which  was  probably  occupied  by  hunters.  The  Stone  Forts 


No.  9— Stone  Fort  on  Maswe's  Creek. 

were  generally  located  in  regions  favorable  for  agriculture  and 
are  surrounded  by  evidences  of  a  numerous  population;  a  pop 
ulation  which  was  given  to  agriculture.  With  these  conjectures 
we  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  specific  forts. 

i.  One  of  the  best  specimens  of  the  stone  forts  is  at  Bourne- 
ville.  See  Plate  VI.  The  description  of  this  is  given  by  Squier 
and  Davis.  It  occupies  the  summit  of  a  lofty,  detached  hill 
twelve  miles  west  of  Chillicothe.  The  hill  is  not  far  from  forty 
feet  in  height.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  abruptness  of  its  sides. 
It  projects  midway  into  the  broad  valley  of  Paint  Creek,  and  is 
a  conspicuous  object  from  every  point  of  view.  The  defenses 
consist  of  a  wall  of  stone,  which  is  carried  around  the  hill  a 


212 

little  below  the  brow,  cutting  off  the  spurs,  but  extending  across 
the  neck  that  connects  the  hill  with  the  range  beyond.  The 
wall  is  a  rude  one,  giving  little  evidence  that  the  stones  were 
placed  upon  one  another  so  as  to  present  vertical  faces,  though 
at  a  few  points  the  arrangement  lends  to  the  belief  that  the  wall 
may  have  been  regularly  faced  on  the  exterior.  Upon  the  west 
ern  side,  or  steepest  face  of  the  hill,  the  stones  are  placed  so  as  to 
resemble  a  protection  wall.  They  were  probably  so  placed  to 
prevent  the  creek  from  washing  away  the  hill  and  undermining 
the  fort.  Upon  the  eastern  face,  where  the  declivity  is  least 
abrupt,  the  wall  is  heavv  and  resembles  a  stone  heap  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  teet  base  and  four  feet  high.  Where  it  crosses  the 
isthmus  it  is  heaviest.  The  isthmus  is  seven  hundred  feet  wide. 
Here  the  wall  has  three  gateways. 

The  gateways  are  formed  by  curving  inward  the  ends  of  the 
wall  for  forty  or  fifty  feet,  leaving  narrow  passages  not  exceed 
ing  eight  feet  in  width.  At  other  points  where  there  are  jutting 
ridges  are  similar  gateways,  though  at  one  point  a  gateway 
seems  to  have  been  for  some  reason  closed  up.  At  the  gateways 
the  amount  of  stone  is  more  than  quadruple  the  quantity  at 
other  pointe,  constituting  broad,  mound-shaped  heaps. 

These  stone  mounds  exhibit  the  marks  of  intense  heat,  which 
has  vitrified  the  surfaces  of  the  stones  and  fused  them  together. 
Strong  traces  of  fire  are  visible  at  other  places  on  the  wall,  par 
ticularly  at  F,  the  point  commanding  the  broadest  extent  of 
country.  Here  are  two  or  three  small  stone  mounds  that  seem 
burned  throughout.  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  power 
ful  fires  have  been  maintained  for  considerable  periods  at  num 
erous  points  on  the  hill.  There  are  several  depressions  or 
reservoirs,  one  of  which  covers  about  two  acres  and  furnishes 
a  supply  of  water  estimated  as  adequate  to  the  wants  of  a  thou 
sand  head  of  cattle.  The  area  enclosed  within  this  fort  is  some 
thing  over  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  the  line  of  wall 
measures  upwards  of  two  and  a  quarter  miles.  Most  of  the 
wall  and  a  large  portion  of  the  area  was  covered  with  a  heavy 
primitive  forest.  Trees  of  the  largest  size  grew  on  the  line, 
twisting  the  roots  among  the  stones,  The  stones  were  of  all 
sizes,  and  were  abundant  enough  to  have  formed  walls  eight 
feet  thick.  In  the  magnitude  of  the  area  enclosed,  this  work 
exceeds  any  hill-work  now  known  in  the  country,  although  less 
in  length  than  that  of  Fort  Ancient.  It  evinces  great  labor  and 
bears  the  impress  of  a  numerous  people.  The  valley  in  which 
it  is  situated  was  a  favorite  one  with  the  race  of  Mound-builders, 
and  the  hill  overlooks  a  number  of  extensive  groups  of  ancient 
works. 

2.  The  stone  fortifications  in  Clark  County,  Ind.  This  is  a 
very  interesting  fort,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  Fourteen-mile 
Creek,  on  the  Ohio  River,  at  the  point  of  an  elevated,  narrow 
ridge,  which  faces  the  river  on  one  side  and  the  creek  on  the 


213 

other.  This  fort  presents  many  new  and  strange  features 
The  ridge  is  pear-shaped,  with  a  narrow  point  to  the  north,  the 
broad  part  toward  the  river.  It  is  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Ohio,  though  at  the  south  end  there  is  a 
terrace  which  is  sixty  feet  above  the  river.  Along  the  greater 
part  of  the  river  front  there  is  an  abrupt  escarpment  of  rock, 
too  steep  to  be  scaled,  and  a  similar  barrier  on  the  side  facing 
the  creek.  This  natural  wall  is  supplemented  on  the  north  side 
by  an  artificial  stone  wall  made  by  piling  up  loose  stone  without 
mortar.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long.  It  is  built 
along  the  slope  of  the  hill  and  had  an  elevation  of  about  seventy- 
five  feet  above  its  base,  the  upper  ten  feet  being  vertical.  The 
inside  of  the  wall  is  protected  by  a  ditch.  The  ridge  on  the 
south  and  southwest  sides,  or  the  broad  end  of  the  pear,  is  also 
protected  by  an  artificial  wall,  built  in  the  same  way,  but  not 
more  than  ten  feet  high.  The  elevation  ot  the  side  wall  above 
the  creek  bottom  is  eighty  feet.  This  artificial  wall  is  supple 
mented  by  a  string  of  mounds  which  abut  against  the  wall  on 
the  inside,  but  which  rise  to  the  height  of  the  wall  throughout 
its  entire  length.  Within  the  fort  there  is  a  ditch  twenty  feet 
wide  and  four  feet  deep,  which  separates  the  mounds  from  the 
enclosure,  or  rather  from  the  ridge,  on  the  summit  of  which  the 
fort  was  supposed  to  be.  The  top  of  the  enclosed  ridge  em 
braced  ten  or  twelve  acres.  There  are  as  many  as  five  mounds 
that  can  be  recognized  on  the  flat  surface.  One  near  the  nar 
rowest  part  (the  stem  of  the  pear)  was  so  situated  as  to  command 
an  extensive  view  up  and  down  the  Ohio  River,  as  well  as  an 
unobstructed  view  across  the  river  and  a  creek,  both  east  and 
west.  It  is  designated  as  Lookout  mound. 

The  locality  afforded  many  natural  advantages  for  a  fort  or 
stronghold.  Much  skill  was  displayed  in  rendering  its  defense 
as  perfect  as  possible  at  all  points.  One  feature  about  the  fort 
is  unique.  The  wall  is  made  up  both  of  stone  and  earth,  the 
stone  forming  a  shield  to  the  earth  wall,  part  way  up  on  the 
inside,  and  completely  to  the  summit  on  the  outside,  the  two 
together  forming  an  elevated  platform  which  overlooked  the 
steep  bank  below,  and  offered  an  excellent  opportunity  for  de 
fense.  The  wall,  and  accompanying  mound  or  earth-work,  is 
situated  below  the  summit  of  the  ridge  on  an  escarpment  of 
rock,  with  a  ditch  on  the  inside,  so  that  there  was  a  double  de 
fense,  the  wall  itself  serving  as  an  outwork,  and  the  sides  of 
the  ridge  inside  forming  a  second  barrier  fordefense.  Prof.  Cox 
says  of  this  fort:  "In  the  natural  advantages  of  the  location  and 
in  the  execution  of  the  bold  plans  conceived  by  the  engineers 
of  a  primitive  people,  this  fortification  surpasses  any  which  has 
yet  been  found  in  the  State.  The  walls  around  the  enclosure, 
which  fill  up  the  protected  spaces,  are  generally  ten  feet  high, 
but  at  a  naturally  weak  point  on  the  northwest  part  the  gap 
was  closed  by  a  wall  that  from  the  outer  case  to  the  top  was 


214 

seventy-five  leet  high.  From  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  which  is 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  river,  one  can  look  over  the 
beautiful  scenery  for  a  stretch  of  eight  or  ten  miles  up  or  down 
the  Ohio  River."" 

(3.)  Prof.  Cox  speaks  of  a  second  fort  or  enclosure,  on  the 
spur  ot  a  ridge  skirting  Big  Creek,  in  Jefferson  County.  "The 
ridge  is  protected  on  the  north  and  south  by  a  natural  cliff, 
sixty-five  to  eighty  feet  high.  Across  the  narrow  neck  of  the 
spur  of  the  ridge  were  two  artificial  stone  walls,  one  seventy- 
five  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  and  tht  other  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet  long,  leaving  an  enclosure  between  the 
walls  of  twelve  acres.  "The  site  of  this  ancient  dwelling-place, 
like  all  others  visited,  affords  an  extended  view  lor  many  miles 
over  the  country,  north,  east  and  south."  Three  stone  mounds 
formerly  could  be  seen,  near  this  fort,  upon  level  ground.  One 
of  them  is  called  the  egg  mound,  on  account  of  its  shape.  "Stone 
was  hauled  from  these  mounds  for  building  foundations,  fire 
places  and  chimneys  for  all  the  houses  for  miles  around."  "From 
the  great  fortified  town  at  the  mouth  of  Fourteen-mile  Creek 
to  the  fortification  at  Big  Creek,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles, 
there  appeared  to  be  a  line  of  antiquities,  that  mark  the  dwell 
ing-places  of  intermediate  colonies;  and  these,  when  pushed  to 
extremes  by  an  invading  foe,  may  have  sought  protection  in  the 
strongholds  at  either  end  of  the  line."* 

V.  A  fifth  mode  of  defense  is  the  one  to  which  we  now  call 
attention.  It  consists  in  the  system  of  "walled  towns"  or  villages. 

We  call  them,  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  "walled  towns". 
This  is  a  significant  term.  It  reminds  us  of  the  "walled  towns" 
of  the  ancient  and  mediaeval  times,  and  suggests  the  idea  that 
these  may  have  been  the  outgrowth  of  such  villages  as  pre 
vailed  in  prehistoric  times.  We  are  to  notice  their  peculiarities. 
Their  peculiarities  were  :  (i.)  The  villages  were  surrounded 
by  walls,  but  were  permanent  residences.  (2.)  The  villages  were 
surrounded  by  ditches,  sometimes  upon  the  outside  of  the  wall 
and  sometimes  on  the  inside.  (3.)  The  majority  of  these  walled 
villages  had  some  high  pyramid  or  domiciliary  mound,  which 
answered  in  a  rude  way  to  the  temples.  (4.)  There  was  always 
a  lookout  mound  in  connection  with  the  walled  village,  which 
served  the  same  purpose  as  a  tower.  (5.)  In  many  of  the  walled 
villages  the  domiciliary  mound  was  located  in  the  midst  of  the 
lodge  circles,  the  arrangement  of  the  lodges  being  around  a 
square,  the  chief 's  house  being  in  the  square.  (5.)  Burial  mounds 
are  frequently  found  in  these  villages.  These  contain  the  great 
est  store  of  relics,  giving  the  idea  that  care  for  the  property  as 
well  as  for  the  remains  of  the  dead,  was  one  element  of  village 
life.  Let  us  consider  the  different  classes: 

Among  the  hunter  tribes  the  walled  village    embodied  it- 


•See  Geological  Report  for  187-1,  p.  36. 


215 

self  in  the  stockade,  a  single  enclosure  constituting  the  defense. 
Among  the  sun-worshipers  the  walled  villages  contained  three 
enclosures,  though  the  object  of  these  enclosures  is  now  un 
known.  Some  have  accounted  for  these  enclosures  by  imagin 
ing  that  the  square  was  designed  for  the  residence  of  the  chiefs, 
corresponding  to  the  public  square  of  the  southern  Indians.  The 
larger  circle  was  the  residence  of  the  people,  and  included  the 
corn-fields  and  kitchen  gardens,  while  the  small  circle  was  the 
residence  of  the  priest  or  medicine  man.  Among  the  stone  grave 
people  the  walled  village  consisted  of  a  wall,  without  bastions, 


Stale 


Teei. 


Fig.  10.— A  Mandan  Fort. 

surrounding  the  village  in  the  form  of  a  semi-circle.  Within  this 
wall  is  found  a  series  of  earth-works — pyramids,  cones,  burial 
mounds,  etc.  These  are  very  common  in  Tennessee.  They 
may  be  called  the  mountain  villages,  or  their  builders  may 
be  called  the  mountain  mound-builders.  We  give  this  name  to 
them,  not  because  they  are  on  the  mountains  but  because  they 
are  in  a  mountainous  region,  the  Appalachian  range  being 
the  only  mountains  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  or  in  other  words, 
the  only  mountains  in  the  Mound-builders'  territory, 

Another  class  of  walled  villages  is  the  one  found  in  Arkan 
sas,  among  the  cypress  swamps.  It  consists  of  a  square  enclos 
ure  with  an  earth  wall  on  all  sides,  the  enclosure  being  filled 


216 

with  lodge  circles  arranged  in  rows  around  an  open  square.  In 
these  villages  there  are  large  domiciliary  mounds  in  the  shape 
of  pyramids,  and  many  comical  mounds.  There  is  a  resem 
blance  between  these  villages  and  those  of  Tennessee;  the 
shape  of  the  enclosure  is  the  main  point  of  difference.  A  spec 
imen  of  the  fourth  class  of  walled  villages  is  found  at  Savannah, 
Tennessee.  This  is  a  square  shaped  enclosure.  A  peculiarity 
of  it  is  the  wall  is  built  with  bastions  or  redoubts  resembling 
those  of  modern  forts. 

We  will  illustrate  the  subject  by  specimens  of  walled  villages, 
(i.)  The  first  is  one  common  among  the  Indians,  such  as  the 
Mandans.  This  consisted  in  a  mere  group  of  lodges  arranged 
around  a  square.  Some  of  the  Mandan  villages  seem  to  have 
had  walls  with  bastions.  See  Fig.  10.  This  reminds  us  of  the 


Scale 


Fig.  11.— Walled  Town  on  the  Big  Harpelh. 

ancient  village  called  Aztalan,  in  Wisconsin,  which  also  had 
bastions  and  outworks.  (2.)  The  villages  found  in  the  State  of 
Tennessee.  Mr.  Jones  says,  "On  the  southwestern  side  of  the 
Big  Harpeth  River,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Frank 
lin,  Tennessee,  is  an  earth-work  which  encloses  about  thirty- 
two  acres  of  land.  See  Fig.  n.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a 
crescent,  which  is  3,800  feet  in  length,  situated  on  a  perpendic 
ular  bluff  forty  feet  above  the  waters  edge.  It  was  admirably 
chosen  for  defense.  Within  the  earth-works  are  nine  mounds, 
the  largest,  marked  A,  resembles  a  parallelogram  two  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  in  length,  ten  feet  in  breadth  and  sixteen  feet  in 
height.  The  remaining  mounds  vary  from  one  hundred  to 
twenty-five  feet  in  diameter  and  one  to  four  feet  in  height." 
The  large  oblong  mound  contained  an  altar  with  ashes  and 
charcoal  resting  on  it;  this  is  near  the  original  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  the  mound  seemed  to  have  been  erected  upon  the 
altar.  Four  mounds,  marked  B,  C,  D  and  F,  also  contained  evi- 


217 

dence  of  hot  fires  in  a  red  burnt  stratum  resembling  ^rick  in 
hardness.*  The  fort  represented  in  the  cut  Fig.  nf  is  also  situ 
ated  on  the  Big  Harpeth,  about  six  miles  from  Franklin.  This 
fort  contains  twelve  acres.  It  has  a  crescent-shaped  wall  sur 
rounding  it,  2470  feet  in  length.  There  are  two  pyramids  at 
one  side  of  the  enclosure.  One  of  them  (A)  is  sixty-five  by 
one  hundred  and  twelve  feet  at  the  base  and  eleven  feet  high; 
the  other  (B)  is  sixty  by  seventy  feet  at  the  base  and  nine  feet 
high.  This  enclosure  contains  a  large  number  of  stone  graves, 
arranged  in  rows  at  either  side  of  the  village.  The  probability 
is  that  the  lodge  sites  of  the  villagers  were  contained  within 
this  fort  and  that  the  pyramids  marked  the  sites  of  the  houses 
of  the  chiefs,  the  burial  place  being  also  inside  of  the  enclosure. 

A  village  fort  in  the  form  of  a  circular  enclosure  has  been 
described  by  Mr.  Gates  P.  Thruston,  as  situated  on  the  West 
Harpeth,  about  three  miles  from  Oldtown.  It  is  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  seventy  feet  in  circumference,  and  contains 
about  seven  acres.  The  main  pyramidal  mound  is  one  hundred 
and  ten  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base  and  thirty-five  feet  at  the 
summit.  Its  height  is  but  nine  feet.  Dr.  Jones  says  that  "for 
tifications  several  miles  in  extent,  inclosing  two  systems  of 
mounds  and  numerous  stone  graves,  lie  along  the  Big  Harpeth 
River,  about  sixteen  miles  below  Oldtown."  Within  these  abor 
iginal  works,  enclosing  the  sites  of  two  ancient  cities  (villages), 
are  found  three  pyramidal  mounds  about  fifty  feet  in  elevation, 
each  one  containing  about  one  acre  on  its  summit. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Tennessee  River  is  the  ancient  work 
which  has  been  described  under  the  head  of  "The  Civilization 
of  the  Mound-builders."  This  is  more  properly  a  bastioned  fort 
rather  than  a  walled  village,  and  yet  it  contains  many  signs  of 
permanent  habitation.  The  main  line  measures,  north  and  south, 
1350  yards.  There  are  the  remains  of  redoubts  at  intervals  of 
eighty  yards.  There  are  some  sixteen  mounds  in  this  enclosure, 
the  largest  of  which  is  thirty  feet  high  and  has  a  level  platform 
at  the  top.  It  commands  a  central  position  and  overlooks  the 
entire  works.  The  other  mounds  of  the  group  range  from 
twelve  feet  in  height  down  to  small  elevations.  The  central 
mound  was  excavated  by  Mr.  J.  Parish  Stelle,  but  proved  to  be 
a  domiciliary  mound,  with  no  regains  except  a  crescent-shaped 
hearth  near  the  surface.  A  furnace  mound  found  in  the  excav 
ation  was,  however,  more  curious,  as  it  was  full  of  the  traces  of 
fire  and  many  burned  and  charred  logs. 

A  similar  class  of  walled  villages  is  the  one  which  is  found  in 
the  midst  of  the  cypress  swamps  of  Southern  Missouri  and 
Northern  Arkansas.  These  swamps  are  very  extensive,  ranging 

*The  cut  illustrative  of  this  fort  may  be  found  in  the  paper  on  "Migrations,"  Fig.  7. 
fThe  cut  (Fig.  11)  on  the  preceding  page  is  illustrative  of  the  fort  described  on  this 
page.  The  reader  will  notice  the  similarity  between  the  two. 


218 

from  ten  to  twenty  miles  in  width  and  twenty  to  forty  in  length. 
They  all  sustain  a  heavy  growth  of  cypress,  and  so  are  called 
"cypries."  Between  these  swamps  are  sandy  ridges,  thirty  to  forty 
miles  in  length  and  three  to  ten  in  width,  leaving  an  elevation 
above  the  swamps  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet.  Between  these  ridges 
are  others  whrch  are  quite  narrow  and  low,  scarcely  three  feet 
above  the  high  water  mark,  with  arroyos  or  low  bottoms  cross 
ing  them  at  intervals.  It  is  supposed  that  during  the  time  of 
the  Mound-builders  the  present  swamps  were  open  water-courses, 
as  all  of  their  principal  works  were  found  on  the  ridges — never 
in  the  arroyos.  The  region  is  in  great  contrast  with  that  in 
which  the  mountain  villages  were  located,  and  yet  the  villages 
were  very  similar. 

We  now  take  a  few  specimens  of  swamp  settlements  as  they 
have  been  described. 

(1)  The   settlement  called  by  Prof.  W.  B.  Potter,  the  "Sandy 
Woods  Settlement".     That  part  of  the  ridge  on  which  the  village 
is  located  is  somewhat  isolated,  and   is  nearly  half  a   mile  long 
by  an  eighth  of  a  mile  wide.     The  wall  is  at  present  two  hun 
dred  and  twelve  feet  high  and  seven  feet  wide;  the  ditch  outside 
is  one  and  one-half  to  three  feet  deep,  by  seven  feet  wide.     A 
group  of  nine  mounds  and  a   large  number  of  circular  depres 
sions,  forming  three   sides  of  a  parallelogram,  characterize  the 
settlement.     The  principal  mound  is  rectangular,  is  sixteen  feet 
high,  and  has  abase  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  by  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet;    summit,  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  by  one  hun 
dred  and  ten  feet.     Next  in  size  is  the  flat  top  conical  mound, 
marked  B.     This  is  one  hundred  feet  in  diameter  and  is  twenty 
feet  high.     Another   mound,  marked  C,  is  one  hundred   feet  in 
diameter  and  four  feet  high.     The  two  mounds  marked  H,  are 
the   most   interesting,  as  they  are  burial  mounds.     These  con 
tained  a  large  number  of  skeletons  and  one  thousand  specimens 
of  pottery.     The  skulls  and  large  bones  were  well  preserved. 
The  lodge  circles  within  these  settlements  are  very  numerous ; 
many  of  them  contained  hearths.     See  Fig.  12.     The  open  space 
in  the  center  of  the  village  was  occupied  by  the  burial  mounds  and 
the  domicliary  mounds.  _ 

(2)  The  second  village  which  we  shall  describe  is  near  New 
Madrid.    Here  the  ridge  rises  about  twenty-two  feet  above  the 
water.     A  wall  around  the  settlement  is  on  the  edge  of  the  ridge, 
but  the  most  prominent  mound  is  on  the  edge  of  the  blufT.     It 
is  eleven   feet  high,  seventy  by  one   hundred   feet   in  diameter 
The  burial  mound,  seven  and  one  half  feet  high,  contained  skele 
tons  in  layers.     The  layers  were  drawn  in  near  the  center  as  the 
mound  arose.     At  the  top  they  were  found  lying  six  layers  deep. 
In  another  mound  a  hearth  was  exposed  twelve  feet  square. 

(3)  Another  village  near  "Mound  Church"  is  called  "Mound 
Group".     It  stands  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  fifteen  feet  above  the 


219 

water.  There  are  two  walls  about  four  feet  high.  The  oval 
space  has  the  great  mound  near  its  center.  This  mound  is,  like 
the  space,  oval  in  shape;  has  a  diameter  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy  feet  by  one  hundred  and  forty  to  two  hundred  and 
eleven  feet,  height  twenty-one  feet. 

(4)  The  settlement  seventeen  miles  north  of  New  Madrid  is 
the  best  preserved  of  them  all.  The  open  space  is  elliptical. 
The  large  mound  in  the  center  is  also  elliptical;  has  a  base  of 
two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long  and  from  one  hundred  and  fif 
teen  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  wide.  The  mound  opposite 
is  eleven  feet  high  and  one  hundred  feet  in  diameter.  These  two 
mounds  correspond  to  one  another  in  position,  and  probably 
mark  the  site  of  the  ruling  classes,  the  one  having  been  occu 
pied  by  the  chief  and  his  family  and  the  other  by  the  priest  or 
medicine  man,  or  by  the  assembly,  so  resembling  the  rotundas 
and  public  squares,  common  among  southern  Mound-builders. 

The  picture  presented  is  that  of  the  village  community  as 
it  existed  in  prehistoric  times,  in  America,  and  it  forms  a  fitting 
close  to  the  article  upon  the  Mound-builders'  defenses.  We  have 
seen  that  there  were  five  different  methods  of  defense:  First, 
the  Signal  Station;  second,  the  Stockade  Fort;  third,  the  Hill 
Fort;  fourth,  the  Stone  Fort;  fifth,  the  Village  Fort.  The  village 
fort  is,  however,  the  most  interesting  of  all. 

The  peculiarities  which  we  recognize  as  common  to  these  walled 
villages  are  as  follows  : 

(i.)  The  villages  all  contain  a  large  number  of  hut  rings,  also 
burial  mounds  and  lookout  mounds,  and  generally  one  or  two 
large  pyramidal  mounds.  These  features  are  found  in  the  Ten 
nessee  villages,  though  the  hut  rings  are  not  so  plain  as  in  the 
Arkansas  villages.  The  difference  between  them  is  that  the 
Tennessee  mounds  contain  stone  graves,  while  the  mounds  in 
Arkansas  contain  large  quantities  ol  pottery,  but  no  stone  cists. 

(2.)  The  open  space,  in  which  there  are  no  lodge  circles,  is 
always  found  in  the  center  of  the  village.  This  space  is  some 
times  elliptical  and  sometimes  square.  This  answers  to  the 
public  square  of  the  Cherokees,  and  conveys  the  idea  that  the 
walled  villages  of  the  southern  tribes  were  all  alike. 

(3.). The  arrangement  of  the  villages.  The  settlement  is  gen 
erally  on  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  and  covers  an  area. from  two 
hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  in  width  and  from  six  hundred  to 
eight  hundred  feet  in  length,  filled  with  lodge  circles  or  hut  rings, 
burial  mounds  and  domiciliary  mounds.  The  lodges  are  gener 
ally  in  rows,  each  hut  ring  being  of  the  same  size.  The  average 
depth  of  the  depressions  is  about  two  feet,  the  diameter  thirty 
feet ;  the  centers  are  from  fifty  to  sixty-five  feet  apart.  In  the 
hut  rings  hearths  of  burnt  clay  are  found  at  a  depth  of  about 
fifteen  inches,  having  a  diameter  of  two  to  three  ieet. 

(4.)  There  was  always  a  pyramidal  mound  'in  the  public  square. 


220 

This  was  probably  the  chief's  residence.  This  mound  is  higher 
than  all  others,  and  overlooks  the  entire  settlement,  the  top  be 
ing  frequently  sixteen  feet  to  twenty  feet  above  the  level.  The 
size  varies;  in  one  case  it  is  120x250  feet,  with  a  summit  of 
154x110  feet;  in  another  case  210x270  feet  at  the  base  and  no 
xi65  at  the  summit.  There  are  sometimes  two  mounds,  one 
rectangular  in  shape  and  the  other  oval.  In  a  few  cases  the 
rectangular  mound  is  surrounded  by  a  series  of  conical  mounds. 
The  burial  mounds  are  within  the  confines  of  these  settlements. 
These  vary  in  height  from  four  feet  to  seven  and  a  half,  and  from 
forty  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  diameter.  They  contain 
many  specimens  of  pottery,  a  large  number  of  human  bodies. 
The  bodies  are  sometimes  in  layers — the  lower  about  one  foot 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  the  other  within  a  foot  of 
the  summit  of  the  mound,  with  six  inches  of  dry  earth  between 
them.  Near  the  heads,  pottery  flasks  and  bottles  are  tound,  and 
near  the  middle  of  the  skeleton  bowls  and  flat  dishes.  The  num 
ber  of  bodies  varies ;  sometimes  as  high  as  one  hundred  or  two 
hundred  are  found  in  a  single  mound.  From  eight  hundred  to 
a  thousend  specimens  have  also  been  found  in  a  single  mound. 

(5)  The   relics   of  the   Mound-builders'  handiwork  found   in 
these  settlements  are  articles  for  household  use  or  ornament  and 
agricultural  tools,  with  a  noticeable  absence  of  the  implements 
of  war  or  the  chase.     Pottery  occurs  in  the  greatest  abundance, 
and  always  in  the  burial  mounds.     Beautiful  specimens  of  spades 
and  hoes,  of  white  and  yellow  chert,  well  polished,  showing  the 
effects  of  use,  are  obtained  from  the  open  fields.     Several  en 
graved  shells,   one  of  them  bearing  the  figure  of  a  spider,  the 
others  of  human  figures,  have  been  found. 

(6)  The  ditch  accompanying  the  villages  is  generally  on  the 
outside.     It  was  probably  used  for  conveying  water  around  the 
settlement,  as  well  as  for  defense.     This  feature  reminds  us  of 
the  fish  preserves,  and  wide  ditches  which  surround  the  groups 
of  pyramids  in  the   Gulf  States.     The  villages  were,  however, 
defended  by  walls  which  were  thrown  up  inside  of  the  ditches. 
In  this  respect  they  differ  from  those  of  the  Gulf  States.     The 
walled  villages  were  evidently  erected  by  an  agricultural  people 
— those  in  Ohio  by  sun-worshipers,  and  those  in  Tennessee  and 
Arkansas   by  pottery  makers.     The   Pyramid-builders   do  not 
seem  to  have  built  such  walled  villages,  but  depended   upon 
pyramids  for  defense. 


SKELETON  IN  ALTAR,  POKTER  MOUND. 


MM 


SKELETON  WITH  SPOOL  ORNAMENTS. 


DEPOSIT  OK  FLINT  RELICS. 


RECENT  FINDS  IN  OHIO  BY  W.  K.  MOOREHEAD. 

The  altar  with  skeleton  was  found  in  Brown  roun'y,  Ohio.  The  altar  measures 
,seven  feet  by  nine.  A  copper  mask  eight  inches  long  and  five  wide  covered  thn  f  rehead 
of  the  skeleton.  The  leaf-shaped  implements  were  found  in  Hopewell  Mound.  This 
mound  contained  deposits  of  copper  aggregating  235  piece*,  carved  into  squares  and 
semi-circles,  suastikas  and  images  of  birds  and  nshes;  a  copper  celt  whi<-h  weighed  38 
pounds,  also  anklets,  bracelets  combs  and  pendants,  many  finely  carved  bones,  covered 
with  traceries,  which  show  a  high  degree  of  manual  skill.  The  skeleton  with  the  spool 
ornaments  was  from  the  Porter  mound,  not  far  from  the  Hopewell  farm. 


221 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RELIGIOUS  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

NORTHERN    DISTRICT. 

We  have  undertaken  in  this  chapter  to  give  a  map  of  the  re 
ligion  of  the  Mound-builders.  To  some  it  may  seem  to  be  a 
Utopian  scheme,  only  based  upon  speculation,  but  we  maintain 
that  the  effort  is  not  only  useful  in  giving  us  more  definite  con 
ceptions  of  the  different  phases  of  that  religion,  but  in  reality  is 
correct  in  its  classification.  The  following  particulars  will  show 
this :  i .  The  religious  systems  in  the  map  correspond  to  the  ethnic 
divisions  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory  which  we  have  already 
made.  These  divisions  indicate  that  there  were  different  races 
occupying  different  districts,  and  the  present  view  not  only  con 
firms  this,  but  indicates  that  the  races  had  systems  of  religion 
which  were  distinct  and  different  from  one  another. 

2.  The  classification  of  the  religious  system  corresponds  with 
that  of  the  works  and  relics,  and  so  proves  that  the  religious  cult 
had  much  to  do  in  giving  them  their  special  characteristics. 

3.  The  map  shows  that  there  was  a  progress  in  ihe  icligious 
cult  which  corresponded  to  the  other  lines  of  progress  made  by 
the  Mound-builders.     The  different  stages  of  progress  may  be 
recognized    in    each   district    as  we  pass  over  their   territory. 
The    northern  districts  were  evidently  occupied   by   totemistic 
hunter  tribes;  their  works  consist  mainly  of  burial  mounds,  animal 
effigies  and  the  remains  of  stockades  of  forts  and  villages.     The 
middle  districts  by  a  class  of  agriculturists,  who  were  evidently 
sun  worshipers;  their  works  consist  of  three  classes — pyramids, 
sacred  enclosures  and  large  mounds  which  contain  chambered 
tombs.     The  southern  districts  by  sedentary  tribes,  who  were 
pyramid-builders  and  sun  worshipers,  and  who  were  idolaters. 

4.  The  different  phases  of  nature  worship  given  by  this  map 
have  been  recognized  among  historic  races.     We  maintain  that 
they  really  originated  among  prehistoric  races.     Some  of  these 
are  rude  and  primitive,  but  they  wonderfully  illustrate  the  sys 
tems  that  prevailed  in  ancient  times,  and  help  us  to  understand 
the  origin  and  growth  of  the  different  historic  faiths.     They  seem 
to  be  mere  superstitions  and  unregulated  fancies  of  rude  savages; 
but  in  them   we  find  the  beginnings  of  that  extensive   system 
which  grew  into  so  many  elaborate  faiths  and  forms.     We  are  thus 
brought  to  the  threshold  of  a  great  mystery  and  into  the  midst  of 
a  deep  problem,  the  whole  field  of  comparative  religions  having 


suddenly  opened  before  our  vision,  and  the  relation  of  man's 
religion  to  his  environment  rising  like  a  mountain  in  the  back 
ground. 

5.  There  was  evidently  a  supra-naturalism  among  the  native 
races,  which  was  dim  and  shadowy,  but  as,  among  the  Mound- 
builders,  it  embodied  itself  in  the  relics  and  in  the  earth-works 
it  becomes  an  object  of  studv,  and  so  we  may  define  each  phase 
by  referring  to  these  material  forms.     We  do  not  claim  that  any 
one  system  was  exclusive  of  all  others,  for  the  systems  are  often 
mingled  together;  yet  there   was  such  a  predominance  of  one 
over  the  other  that  we  may  take  the  map  as  a  fair  picture  of  the 
different  systems.     The  complications  are,  to  be  sure,  numerous 
and  the  tokens  varied,  but  the  geographical  divisions  separate 
them  sufficiently  and  we  may  actually  decide  what  the  character 
istic  of  each  cuU  was. 

6.  The  religious  sentiment  was  strong  among  the  native  races  of 
America.     It  seems  to  have  manifested  itself  in  different  ways  in 
different  localities,  showing  that  it  was  everywhere  subject  to 
the  influence   of  climate,  soil,  scenery,  and  physical   surround 
ings.     It  largely  partook  of  the  character  of  nature  worship,  but 
obeyed  the  law  of  natural  development.     If  we  take  a  map  of 
the  continent  and  "draw  lines  across  it,  somewhat  correspond 
ing  to  the  lines  of  latitude,  we  will  find  that  this  map  not  only 
represents  the  different   climates   and  occupations,  but  the   re 
ligions  of  the  aborigines.     What  is  more,  these  different  religions 
will    embrace    nearly   all  of   those  systems    which    have   been 
ascribed  to  nature   worship :  Shamanism  prevailing  among  the 
ice  fields  of  the  north  ;  animism  having  its  chief  abode  in  the 
forest  belt;  totemism,  its  chief  sway  among  the  hunter  tribes 
that  inhabited  the  country  near  the  chain  of  the   great  lakes; 
serpent  worship  in  the  middle  district;  sun  worship  among  the 
southern  tribes,  and  an  advanced  stage  of  the  nature  worship 
among  the  civilized  races  of  the  southwest. 

The  divisions  in  the  map  correspond  with  the  divisions  of 
various  Indian  tribes  or  races,  which  are  known  to  have  inhab 
ited  the  country  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  history,  thus 
showing  that  there  were  ethnic  causes  that  produced  the  differ 
ent  systems  of  religion  among  them.  There  is  a  wonderful 
correspondence  between  the  systems  wh:ch  prevailed  in  the 
modern  Indian  and  the  mound-building  period,  showing  that  the 
native  races  were  affected  by  their  surroundings. 

7.  In  reference  to  the  geography  of  the  religion  of  the  Mound- 
builders,  we  conclude  that  the  key  is  found  in  the  physical  envi 
ronment.     If  among  them  there  was  a  system  illustrating  the 
stages  through  which  religion  passes  on  its  way  to  the  higher 
historic  faiths,  this  corresponded  to  the  social  status,  grades  of 
progress  and  geographical  districts  among  the  Mound-builders, 
and  is  to  be  studied  in  the  material  relics  and  tokens  which  are 


223 

to  be  found  in  the  different  districts.  The  picture  which  is  pre 
sented  by  the  larger  map  is  concentrated  into  a  smaller  compass, 
the  different  forms  of  nature  worship  having  embodied  themselves 
m  the  works  and  relics  of  this  mysterious  people.  Here  then 
we  have  a  schedule  by  which  we  may  classify  the  different  sys 
tems  as  they  appear  before  us.  Recognizing  the  various  aborig- 
nal  religions  in  the  different  districts,  we  find  in  them  the  various 
phases  of  nature  worship,  and  so  can  follow  that  worship  through 
its  different  stages. 

The  order  of  succession  in  the  line  of  growth,  would  be  about 
as  follows :  We  find  a  trace  of  animism  predominating  among 
the  wild  tribes,  which  consisted  in  giving  a  soul  to  everything, 
but  this  prevailing  among  the  Mound-builders  led  them  to  erect 
many  chambered  mounds  and  to  take  great  care  in  depositing 
relics  in  them. 

The  same  animal  worship  that  led  the  native  tribes  to  the  recog- 


Fig.  1 — Mound  on  the  Iowa  River, 

nition  of  the  animals  as  their  divinities  led  the  Mound-builders 
to  erect  animal  effigies  on  the  soil.  The  system  of  sun  worship 
which  led  the  agriculturist  to  regard  the  sun  as  his  great  divinity 
would  lead  the  Mound-builders  to  embody  the  sun  symbols  in 
their  works.  The  system  which  led  the  civilized  races  to  erect 
vast  pyramids  of  stones  and  consecrate  shrines  to  the  sun  divin 
ity  on  the  summit,  induced  the  Mound-builders  to  erect  their 
earth-works  in  the  shape  of  the  pyramids  and  place  images  upon 
the  summits.  These  different  phases  of  nature  worship  only 
illustrate  the  law  of  parallel  development,  a  law  which  prevailed 
in  prehistoric  tribes  as  well  as  in  historic.  We  are,  however,  to 
remember  that  there  are  no  hard  and  fast  lines  by  which  these 
systems  were  separated,  for  they  were  blended  together  every 
where,  the  only  difference  being  that  one  system  was  more  prom 
inent  than  the  other.  We  take  the  different  districts  and  learn 
from  the  works  and  relics  that  these  embodied  the  religions  of 
the  Mound-builders,  but  at  the  same  time  see  the  shading  of  one 
into  the  other,  and  avoid  making  the  divisions  arbitrary. 

I.  Let  us  take  the  system  of  animism.  This,  in  the  larger  field 
and  among  the  living  races,  was  the  religion  of  the  savages  and 
belonged  to  the  lowest  stages  of  human  development.  Ani- 


224 

mism  prevailed  among  the  Mound-builders.  Among  them  it 
was  also  the  lowest  form  of  religion.  Remains  of  it  are,  to  be 
sure,  occasionally  seen  among  the  higher  stages,  but  it  was, 
nevertheless,  a  superstition  of  the  savages.  The  essence  of  ani 
mism  consisted  in  ascribing  a  soul  to  everything,  and  making 
the  soul  of  material  things  about  as  important  as  the  human 
soul.  The  savage,  when  he  buried  the  body  of  the  dead,  depos 
ited  the  various  belongings  with  the  body,  for  he  thought  that 
the  spirit  would  use  the  weapons  and  relics  in  the  land  of  the 
shades.  With  the  Mound-builders  the  same  superstition  pre 
vailed,  but  with  them  it  was  often  the  custom  to  break  the  relics 
in  order  to  let  out  the  soul.  It  was  to  the  same  superstition 
that  chambers  and  vaults,  resembling  the  houses  and  tents  of 
the  chiefs,  were  left  in  the  center  of  the  mounds  and  that  the 
bodies  were  placed  inside  these  vaults.  The  thought  was  that 
the  spirit  remained  ;  every  individual  having  a  double  lodge,  one 
occupied  before  death,  the  other  to  remain  inhabited  after  death. 
We  give  a  series  of  cuts  which  illustrate  the  points  referred 


Fig.  9.— Mound  near  East  Dubuque. 

to.  It  will  be  noticed  that  in  each  of  these  the  mound  contains 
a  chamber,  and  in  the  chamber  are  skeletons,  and  with  the 
skeletons  are  relics  which  were  used  in  the  life-time;  the  idea 
being  that  the  soul  needed  the  same  after  death.  The  first 
figure  (see  Fig.  i)  illusirates  a  mound  situated  on  the  Iowa 
River,  a  region  where  hunter  laces  are  known  to  have  lived; 
in  this  mound  is  a  stone  vault  having  the  shape  of  an  arch,  and  in 
the  vault  a  single  skeleton,  sillmg,  with  a  pottery  vessel  by  its 
side.  The  next  (see  Figs.  2  and  4)  represent  a  mound  situated 
on  a  high  bluff  on  the  Mississippi  River  in  East  Dubuque.  In 
this  mound  was  a  cell  divided  into  three  apartments;  in  the 
central  apartment  were  eight  skeletons  sitting  in  a  circle,  while 
in  the  center  of  the  circle  was  a  drir.king  vessel  made  of  a  sea 
shell;  the  other  cells  are  said  to  have  contained  chocolate-colored 
dust,  which  had  a  very  offensive  odor.  The  whole  chamber 
was  covered  with  a  layer  of  poles  or  logs,  above  which  were 
several  layers  of  cement,  made  partly  ot  lime.  Another  figure 
(see  Fig.  3)  represents  a  burial  mound  containing  a  chamber, in 
the  botiom  of  which  were  several  skeletons,  a  lop  coming  of 
sand,  a  layer  of  clay,  a  layer  of  hard  clay  mixed  with  ashes, 
and  a  layer  of  mortar  over  the  bones.  This  mound  was  in 


225 

Crawford  County,  Wisconsin,  in  the  region  of  the  effigv  mounds. 
Another  figure  (see  Fig,  5)  represents  a  chambered  mound  in 
Missouri.  The  vault  in  this  mound  was  rectangular,  and  was 
built  and  was  laid  up  with  stones  very  much  like  a  modern  build 
ing,  but  has  a  passage-way  at  the  side  whirh  reminds  us  of  the 
European  cists  or  dolmens.  It  is  a  remarkable  specimen  ot  the 
handiwork  of  the  Mound-builders.  Whether  these  different 
chambers  or  vaults  can  be  regarded  as  representing  the  houses 
of  the  Mound-builders  is  a  question;  but  the  fact  that  they  are 
in  the  burial  mounds,  and  so  many  of  them  contain  relics  and 
remains,  would  indicate  that  such  was  the  case. 

We  have  said  that  burial  mounds  of  hunter  tribes  were  gener 
ally  stratified.  We  find,  however,  stratified  mounds  containing 
pottery  vessels  near  the  heads,  as  though  there  was  an  association 
of  the  spirit  with  the  vessel.  We  find  also  groups  of  lodge 
circles  on  the  sites  of  villages,  but  within  the  circles  are  bodies 
and  relics,  giving  the  idea  that  they  were  buried  within  the  lodge. 
It  was  the  custom  of  certain  tribes  to  bury  the  body  on  the  very 
spot  where  life  had  departed.  The  tent  and  its  furniture  and 


Fig.  3.— Mound  in  Crawford  County,  Wisconsin. 

equipments  were  either  burned  or  removed,  but  the  body  re 
mained  where  it  was.  May  we  not  ascribe  these  lodge  circles 
to  the  same  superstition?  It  was  the  custom,  also,  of  other 
tribes  to  bury  the  body  in  the  very  attitude  which  it  assumed  in 
"  articulo  mortis" .  May  not  this  explain  the  peculiar  attitude  of 
some  of  the  bodies  found  in  the  tops  of  the  mounds,  where  the 
face  rests  upon  the  hands,  the  body  on  the  sides  with  the  knees 
drawn  to  the  chin  ?  It  was  the  custom  of  the  Dakota  tribes  to 
remove  the  sod  and  expose  the  soil  for  the  sacred  rites  of  cer 
tain  feasts,  as  the  Master  of  Life  was  supposed  to  dwell  in  the 
soil.  The  sacred  pipes  and  other  emblems  were  placed  near 
the  fresh  earth,  as  if  to  be  offered  to  the  spirit  which  dwelt  there. 
May  not  this  same  superstition,  that  the  soul  or  spirit  of  life  was 
in  the  soil,  account  for  the  burial  customs  which  were  embodied 
in  the  mound?  The  same  punctilious  care  over  the  details  of 
burial  was  observed  in  prehistoric  times  that  is  now  seen  in  the 
sacred  ceremonies  of  the  modern  historic  tribes.  We  cannot 
dwell  upon  this  subject,  but,  doubtless,  if  we  understood  the  cus 
toms  of  the  Mound-builders  better,  we  should  find  that  there 
was  not  a  single  item  which  did  not  have  its  special  significance. 
Great  variety  is,  to  be  sure,  manifested  in  the  burial  mounds. 


226 


Some  contain  relics,  the  very  relics  which  had  been  used  during 
the  life  ot  the  deceased;  the  bodies  of  children  being  covered 
with  bone  beads,  the  very  beads  that  had  been  worn  as  neck 
laces  and  wristlets;  the  bodies  of  warriors  being  attended  by  the 
arrows,  axes,  spear  heads,  badges,  gorgets  and  ornaments  which 

they  had  carried  through  life;  the 
bodies  of  chiefs  being  attended 
with  pipes,  spool  ornaments, 
pearl  beads  and  many  other 
precious  relics,  which  were  their 
personal  belongings.  Vases  filled 
with  sweetmeats  were  sometimes 
buried  near  the  children ;  pottery 
vessels  and  domestic  utensils  near 
the  heads  of  females,  and  brood 
ing  ornaments  or  bird-shaped 
Fig.  ^.-skeletons  at  East  Dubuque.  relics,  used  as  the  signs  of  mater 
nity.  Even  tender  fabrics,  such  as  the  cloth  woven  from  hemp, 
feather  robes  and  coverings,  made  from  the  hair  of  the  rabbit, 
delicate  needles  made  from  bone  and  from  copper,  spool  orna 
ments  made  from  wood  and  covered  with  copper  and  sometimes 
with  silver ;  in  fact,  all  the  articles  that  made  up  the  toilet  of 
women  or  furnished  equipments  for  men,  or  were  playthings  of 
children,  were  deposited  at  times  in  the  mounds,  not  as  offerings 
to  the  sun  divinity,  nor  the  serpent  or  fire,  but  as  gifts  or  pos 
sessions  to  which  the  spirit  of  the  dead  had  a  right. 

II.  We  now  come  to  the  second  form  of  nature  worship.    This 
prevailed  chiefly  among  the  Mound-builders,  though  we  some 
times  recognize  it  among  living  tribes.    It  is  the  system  of  animal 
worship — the  normal  cult  ot  the  hunter 
tribes.      According  to  this  system,   the 
animals    were    frequently    regarded    as 
divinities.      They  were  the  ancestors   of 
the  clans,  as  well  as  their  protectors,  and 
gave  their  names  to  the    clans.      This 
system  prevailed  among  the  northern  and 
eastern  tribes,  such  as  the  Iroquois,  the 
Algonquins.  Chippeways  or  (Jbjibways, 
and,   to  a  certain  extent,  the    Dakotas, 
though  among  the  latter  it  was  gieutly 
modified.  It  prevailed  especially  through 
the  northern  districts  and  along  the  chain 
of  great   lakes.     Its   peculiarity  was  that  the  people   were  not 
permitted  to  eat  the  flesh  of  the  animal  whose  emblem  they  bore, 
nor  were  they  permitted  even  to  marry  into  the  clan  of  the  same 
animal  name;  a  most  remarkable  system  when  we  consider  its 
effect  upon  the  details  of  society  and  its  influence  in  the  tribal 
organization.      The   same   system   prevailed   on    the    northwest 


Fig.  5. — Chambered  Mound. 


227 

coast,  but  it  was  here  modified  by  the  presence  of  human  images 
carved  into  genealogical  trees,  with  the  thunder-bird  generally 
surmounting  the  column. 

This  system  prevailed  among  the  Mound-builders,  especially 
in  the  northern  districts.  It  was  embodied  in  the  effigies  which 
are  so  numerous  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  but  was  also  exercised 
by  those  people  who  have  left  so  many  animal  figures  made  in 
effigy  from  standing  stones  which  are  lound  in  Dakota.  Descrip 
tions  of  these  effigies  have  been  given  by  the  author  in  the  book 
on  "  Emblematic  Mounds."  Other  specimens  have  been  discov 
ered  since  the  volume  was  published.  We  maintain  that  there 
were  three  specific  uses  made  of  these  effigies — the  same  uses 
which  may  be  recognized  in  the  totem  posts  of  the  northwest 
coast.  They  are  as  follows : 

I.  The  perpetuity  of  the  clan  name.  In  the  totem  posts  the 
clan  name  was  mingled  with  the  family  history,  but  generally 
surmounting  the  column,  the  genealogical  record  of  the  family 


Fig.  6.— Totems  in  Wisconsin. 

being  contained  in  the  elaborate  carvings  found  below.  They 
might  be  called  ancestor  posts,  for  the  name  or  image  of  each 
ancestor  was  given,  a  great  effort  being  made  to  extend  the 
genealogical  line  as  far  as  possible.  This  same  use  of  animal 
figures  as  tribal  or  clan  signs,  designed  to  represent  the  clan 
names,  may  be  recognized  in  some  of  the  old  deeds  which  were 
given  by  the  Iroquois  to  the  whites.*  Here  the  bear,  the  turkey 
and  the  wolf  are  drawn  on  paper  to  signify  the  clan  emblem  of 
the  chief.  The  same  custom  has  been  recognized  in  the  emblem 
atic  mounds,  with  this  difference:  instead  of  being  written  on 
paper  or  carved  in  wood,  in  this  case  the  totems  were  moulded  into 
earth -works;  massive  effigies  of  eagles,  swallows,wolves,squirresl, 
bears,  panthers,  turtles,  coons,  buffaloes  and  other  animals,  and 
having  been  placed  upon  the  soil  to  mark  the  habitat  of  the  clans. 
They  served  the  purpose,  because  they  were  on  the  hill-tops  as 
well  as  in  the  valleys,  and  marked  not  only  the  sites  of  villages, 
but  the  game  drives,  the  sacrificial  places,  the  dance  grounds  and 
council  houses  of  the  clans.  See  Fig.  6. 

2.  The  protective  power  of  the  totems  is  to  be  noticed.     On 
the  northwest  coast  the  houses  are  sometimes  furnished  with 


*See  Documentary  History  of  New  York,  Vol.  II. 


228 

figures  of  whales,  serpents  and  other  animals.  In  some  cases 
the  entrance  to  the  house  is  through  the  body  of  a  fish;  other 
houses  have  the  image  of  the  thunder  bird,  with  spread  wings, 
placed  over  the  doorway;  the  entrance  of  the  house  being  un 
der  the  body  and  between  the  wings.  The  same  custom  was 
common  among  the  Mandans  and  other  tribes  of  the  prairies ; 
they  painted  upon  the  outsides  of  their  tents  the  figures  of  a 
deer  or  elk,  making  the  opening  to  the  tent  through  the  body  of 
the  animal.  We  have  noticed  also  among  the  effigy  mounds 
that  figures  of  the  squirrels,  panthers  and  wolves  were  placed  at 
the  entrance-way  to  the  villages,  so  placed  as  to  give  the  idea 
that  they  were  designed  to  protect  the  villages.  In  all  such 
cases  they  were  the  clan  emblems.  We  have  also  noticed  that 
the  clan  emblems  were  placed  near  the  game  drives,  as  if  the 
protection  of  the  clan  divinity  was  invoked  by  the  hunter. 
Sometimes  the  clan  emblem  would  be  placed  at  a  distance  on  a 
hilltop  above  the  village,  giving  the  idea  that  there  was  an  over 
shadowing  presence.  A  favorite  custom  was  to  seize  upon  some 
cliff,  or  ridge,  or  knob  of  land  which  had  a  resemblance  to  the 
clan  emblem  and  there  place  the  effigy,  as  if  there  were  a  double 
protection  in  this:  animism  and  totemism  conspiring  to 
strengthen  the  fancy.  See  Figs.  7  and  10. 

3.  The  mythologic  character  of  the  totems  is  to  be  noticed. 
On  the  northwest  coast  the  great  myth  bearers  are  the  totem 
posts.     We  learn  from  Mr.  James  Deans*  that  the  myths  of  the 
people  were  carved  into  the  vacant  spaces  upon  the  posts,  and 

that  it  \vas  the  ambition  of  the  people  to  per 
petuate  as  many  myths  as  possible. 

The  hideous  masks  which  are  so  common  in 
the  same  region  were  also  designed  to  be  myth 
bearers.  These  masks  served  the  same  purpose 
as  buffalo-heads  and  elk-horns  did  among  the 
Dakotas.  They  helped  to  carry  out  the  sem 
blances  of  the  animals  which  were  assumed  by 

Fig.J-Turtle  Totem.  dancers  at  the  great  feasts>  the  buffdlo  dance  and 

the  elk  dance  being  characterized  by  imitations  of  the  attitudes  of 
the  animals.  The  effigies  were  also  myth  bearers.  Groups  of 
effigies  are  found  which  contain  all  the  animals  that  were  native 
to  the  region,  closely  associated  with  human  figures  (fee  Fig.  8), 
the  effigies  in  their  attitudes  and  relative  positions  giving  the  idea 
that  there  was  a  myth  contained  in  them. 

4.  The  totems  also  served  a  part  in  the  pictographs.     One  fact 
illustrates  this:  The  Osages  have  a  secret  order  in  which  traditions 
are  preserved  by  symbols  tatooed   upon   the  throat  and  chest.f 
One  of  these  traditionary  pictographs  is  as  follows  :  At  the  top 

•American  Antiquarian.    Article  by  Jnrnes  Dean",  Vol.  XIII.,  No.  IV. 
t^lxih  Annual  Keport  of  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  page  378,  "Osage  Traditions,"  by 
Rev.  J.  O.  Dorsey. 


Fig.  8.—Myth  Bearer  of  the  Dakota*. 


we  see  a  tree  near  a  river,  called  the  tree  of  life;  just  under  the 
river  we  see  a  large  star,  at  the  left  the  morning  star,  and  next 
are  six  stars,  then  the  evening  star;  beneath  these  are  seven 
stars,  or  the  pleides;  below  these  the  moon  on  the  left,  the  sun 
on  the  right,  between  them  a  peace  pipe  and  a  hatchet ;  below 
these  are  the  four  upper  worlds,  represented  by  four  parallel  lines, 

a  bird  is  seen  hovering  over 
the  four  worlds.  The  object 
of  the  tradition  or  chart  was 
to  show  how  the  people  as 
cended  from  the  lower  worlds 
and  obtained  human  souls 
whenthey  had  long  been  in  the 
body  of  birds  and  animals. 
The  Osages  say :  "  We  do 
not  believe  that  our  ancestors 
were  really  animals  or  birds; 
these  things  are  only  symbols 
of  something  higher."  Mr. 
Dorsey  also  says:  "The  lowas 
have  social  divisions  and  per 
sonal  names  of  mythical  persons  and  sacred  songs,  but  these  are 
in  the  Winnebago  language."  He  says:  "Aside  from  traditions 
even  the  taboos  and  the  names  of  the  gentes  and  the  phratries 
are  objects  of  mysterious  reverence,  and  such  names  are  never 
used  in  ordinary  conversation."  We  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
totems  of  the  Mound-builders  were  also  as  thoroughly  subjects 
of  reverence  and  that  there  was  much  secrecy  in  reference  to  them. 
There  were  probably  secret  societies 
and  *'  mysteries"  among  the  Mound- 
builders,  and  it  would  require  initia 
tion  on  our  part  to  understand  the 
symbols  which  have  perpetuated  the 
myths  and  traditions  as  much  as  if 
they  were  hieroglyphics  and  we  were 
without  the  key.  The  subject  of  to- 
temism  is  very  complicated,  but  was 
prevalent  in  prehistoric  times  as  one 
of  the  wide-spread  systems  of  religion. 
5.  Another  phase  of  totemism  was  that 
which  connected  itself  with  various 
objects  of  nature — trees,  rocks,  caves, 
rivers.  It  was  thought  that  invisible  spirits  haunted  every  dark 
and  shadowy  place.  The  caves  were  their  chief  abode;  the  cliffs 
were  also  filled  with  an  invisible  presence.  Every  rock  or  tree 
of  an  unusual  shape  was  the  abode  of  a  spirit,  especially  if  there 
was  any  resemblance  in  the  shape  to  any  human  or  animal  form. 
It  was  owing  to  this  superstition,  that  gave  a  soul  to  every  thing, 


Fig.  9— Myth  Bearer  from  a  Cave 
in  Wisconsin. 


230 

that  so  many  double  images  are  found  in  the  Mound-builders' 
territority.  The  image  of  the  serpent,  of  the  lizard,  of  the  turtle, 
was  recognized  in  the  bluffer  rock  or  island  or  stream;  and  the 
mound  resembling  the  same  creature  was  placed  above  the  bluff 
to  show  that  the  resemblance  had  been  recognized.  Totemism, 
then,  was  not  confined  to  the  savages  who  roamed  through  the 
dark  forest  of  the  North,  nor  to  those  Northern  tribes  which 
made  their  abode  upon  the  prairies,  and  left  traces  of  themselves 
in  the  idols  and  images  and  foot  tracks  and  inscriptions,  which 
are  now  such  objects  of  wonder,  but  it  extended  far  to  the 
southward,  and  was  mingled  with  the  more  advanced  systems 
which  prevailed  in  this  region. 


Fi<).  10. — Alligator  Mound  in  Ohio. 

This  was  totemism.  We  conclude  that  it  bore  an  important 
part  in  the  Mound-builder's  life.  It  was  very  subtle  and  obscure, 
yet  if  we  recognize  it  among  the  living  tribes  we  may  also 
recognize  it  among  those  who  have  passed  away. 

6.  Under  the  head  of  totemistic  symbols  we  shall  place  those  re 
markable  works,  the  great  serpent  and  alligator  mounds.  These 
closely  correspond  to  the  shape  of  the  cliff  or  hill  on  which 
they  are  placed.  They  must  be  regarded  as  sacred  or  religious 
works,  as  they  probably  had  a  mythologic  significance.  The 
alligator  mound  is  situated  upon  a  high  and  beautifully  rounded 
spot  of  land,  which  projects  boldly  into  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Raccoon  Creek.  The  hill  is  150  or  200  feet  high.  It  is  so 
regular  as  almost  to  induce  the  belief  that  it  has  been  artificially 
rounded.  It  commands  a  view  of  the  valley  for  eight  or  ten 
miles,  and  is  by  far  the  most  conspicuous  point  within  that  limit. 
Immediately  opposite,  and  less  than  a  half  mile  distant,  is  a 


231 

large  and  beautiful  circular  work;  to  the  right,  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  distant,  is  a  fortified  hill,  and  upon  the  opposite  side  of 
the  valley  is  another  intrenched  hill.  The  great  circles  at  New 
ark,  which  we  have  designated  as  village  inclosures,  are  but  a 
few  miles  away  and  would  be  distinctly  visible  were  there  no  in 
tervening  forest.  Squier  and  Davis  say:  "The  effigy  is  called 
the  alligator,  though  it  closely  resembles  the  lizard.  The  total 
length  is  about  250  feet,  breadth  of  body  40  feet,  length  of  legs 
36  feet.  The  paws  are  broader  than  the  legs,  as  if  the  spread 
of  the  toes  had  been  imitated.  The  head,  shoulders  and  rump 
are  elevated  into  knobs  and  so  made  prominent.  Near  the  effigy 
is  a  circular  mound  covered  with  stones,  which  have  been  much 
burned.  This  has  been  denominated  an  altar.  Leading  to  it 
from  the  top  of  the  effigy  is  a  graded  way  ten  feet  broad.  It 
seems  more  than  possible  that  this  singular  effigy  had  its  origin 
in  the  superstition  of  its  makers.  It  was  perhaps  the  high  place 
where  sacrifices  were  made  on  extraordinary  occasions,  and 
where  the  ancient  people  gathered  to  celebrate  the  rites  of  their 
unknown  worship.  The  valley  which  it  overlooks  abounds  in 
traces  of  a  remote  people  and  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the 
centers  of  ancient  population."*  See  Fig.  10. 

In  reference  to  the  altars  so  called,  we  may  say:  "One  is  to 
be  distinctly  observed  in  the  inclosure  connected  with  the  great 
serpent  and  another  in  connection  with  the  cross  near  Tarlton, 
and  still  another  in  connection  with  the  bird  effigy  at  Newark." 
This  bird  (ffigy  is  also  worthy  of  notice;  it  was  in  the  centre  of 
the  great  circle,  and  seems  to  have  been  erected  for  religious 
purposes,  like  the  great  circles  of  England,  and  in  the  squares 
of  Peru  and  Mexico,  enclosures  within  which  were  erected  the 
shrines  of  the  gods  of  the  ancient  worship  and  altars  of  ancient 
religion.  These  may  have  been  spots  consecrated  by  tradition, 
or  rendered  remarkable  as  the  scene  of  some  extraordinary 
event,  invested  with  reverence  and  regarded  with  superstition; 
tabooed  to  the  multitude,  but  full  of  significance  to  the  priest 
hood.  They  may  have  embraced  consecrated  graves,  and  guarded 
as  they  were  by  animal  totems,  have  been  places  where  myster 
ious  rites  were  practiced  in  honor  of  the  great  totemistic  divinity. 

III.  The  third  form  of  nature  worship  we  shall  mention,  is  the 
one  which  consisted  in  the  use  of  fire.  It  might  be  called  fire 
worship,  although  it  has  more  of  the  nature  of  a  superstition 
than  of  worship.  This  custom,  of  using  fire  as  an  aid  to  devo 
tion,  was  not  peculiar  to  the  Mound-builders,  for  it  was  common 
in  all  parts  of  the  world;  the  suttee  burning  of  India  being  the 
most  noted.  In  Europe  cremation  or  burial  in  fire  was  a  cus 
tom  peculiar  to  the  bronze  age,  and  indicated  an  advanced  stage 
of  progress;  the  relics  which  are  found  in  the  fire-beds  being 

*Ancient 


232 

chiefly  of  bronze  and  many  of  them  highly  wrought.  In  this 
country  the  fire  cult  was,  perhaps,  peculiar  to  the  copper  age;  at 
least,  the  larger  portion  of  the  relics  which  are  found  in  the  fire 
beds  are  copper.  As  to  the  extent  of  this  cult,  we  may  say  it  was 
prevalent  among  the  native  tribes  both  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
and  of  the  far  West,  and,  in  some  cases,  appeared  upon  the 
northwest  coast.  There  are  instances  where  cremation  or  burning 
of  human  bodies  was  practiced  which,  in  many  ot  its  features 
resembled  the  suttee  burning.  The  custom  of  keeping  a  perpetual 
fire  was  one  phase  of  this  fire  cult.  This  seems  to  have  been 
general  among  the  tribes  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  so  well  as 
among  the  civilized  races  of  the  southwest.  It  was  a  supersti 
tion  of  the  Aztecs,  that  if  the  fire  went  out  in  the  temple,  the 
nation  ceased  to  exist.  The  ceremony  of  creating  new  fire  was 
the  most  sacred  and  important  event  among  them.  Charlevoix 
says  that  fire  among  the  Muscogees  was  kept  burning  in  honor 
of  the  sun.  It  was  fed  with  billets  or  sticks  of  wood  so  arranged 
as  to  radiate  from  a  common  center,  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.* 
Temples  were  erected  for  this  purpose,  and  in  them  the  bones  of 
the  dead  chieftans  were  also  kept.  Tonti  says  of  the  Taensas: 
"The  temple  was,  like  the  cabin  of  the  chief,  about  forty  ieet 
square;  the  wall  fourteen  feet  high;  the  roof  doom  shaped ; 
within  it  an  altar,  and  the  fire  was  kept  up  by  the  old  priests 
night  and  day.  The  temples  were  quite  common  throughout 
the  region  known  as  Florida,  extending  from  Arkansas  to  the 
southern  point  of  the  Peninsula.  They  were  found  in  many  of 
the  villages,  and  great  care  was  exercised  that  the  fire  within 
them  should  be  perpetual.  The  temples  finally  disappear,  and, 
in  their  stead,  we  find  the  hot  house  or  rotunda  or  council 
houses,  such  as  are  known  to  the  Cherokees.  The  time  came 
when  a  temple  was  no  longer  spoken  of,  though  the  rotunda 
embodied  something  of  its  sacredness.  It  was  within  this  rotunda 
that  the  first  fire  was  kindled;  and  it  was  here,  under  the  care  of 
the  priests,  that  the  perpetual  fire  was  kept  burning.  A  very 
interesting  rite  was  observed  annually,  when  all  fires  of  the  tribes 
were  put  out  and  kindled  anew  by  the  fire  generator.  This  took 
place  on  the  occasion  of  the  feast  of  the  first  fruits  on  the  third 
day.  On  that  day,  as  the  sun  declined,  universal  silence  reigned 
among  the  people.  The  chief  priests  then  took  a  dry  piece  of 
wood,  and,  with  the  fire  generator,  whirled  it  rapidly.  The  wood 
soon  began  to  smoke;  the  fire  was  collected  in  an  earthen  dish 
and  taken  to  the  altar.  Its  appearance  brought  joy  to  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  The  women  arranged  themselves  around  the 
public  square,  where  the  altar  was,  each  receiving  a  portion  of 
the  new  and  pure  flame.  They  then  prepared,  in  the  best  man 
ner,  the  new  corn  and  fruits,  and  made  a  feast  in  the  square,  in 


•Charlevoix  rotten*,  page 


233 

which  the  people  were  assembled  and  with  which  the  men  re 
galed  themselves."* 

As  to  the  prevalence  of  the  fire  cult  among  the  Mound-build 
ers,  it  was  not  confined  to  the  southern  districts,  where  the 
rotundas  were  and  where  sun  worship  was  so  prominent.  At 
least  one  stage  of  this  fire  cult,  that  which  consisted  in  cremation 
of  the  bodies,  appeared  in  the  regions  north  of  the  Ohio  River 
and  was  quite  common. 

We  shall  see  the  extent  of  this  custom  if  \ve  draw  a  line  diag 
onally  from  the  region  about  Davenport,  Iowa,  through  Illinois, 
Indiana,  Southern  Ohio,  West  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  We 
shall  find  that  the  line  strikes  the  majority  of  the  fire  beds  and 
altar  mounds.  What  is  remarkable,  also,  along  this  line  are  found 
those  relics  which  have  been  associated  with  the  fire  cult  of  Ohio, 
many  of  them  having  been  placed  upon  the  altars  and  offered 
either  to  the  sun  divinity  or  to  the  fire.  Among  these  relics  we 
may  mention  as  chief  the  so-called  Mound-builder  pipe.  This 
was  a  pipe  with  a  curved  base  and  a  carved  bowl,  the  bowl  being 
an  imitation  of  some  animal  native  to  the  region.  The  pipes  are 
very  numerous  in  the  vicinity  ot  Davenport,  Iowa.  The  animals 
imitated  are  very  nearly  the  same  as  those  represented  in  the 
Ohio  pipes — the  lizard,  the  turtle,  the  toad,  the  howling  wolf,  the 
squirrel,  ground-hog  and  bird.  One  pipe  has  the  shape  of  the 
serpent  wound  about  the  bowl,  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  ser 
pent  pipe  which  was  found  upon  the  altar  in  Clarke's  Works  in 
Southern  Ohio,  Similar  pipes,  carved  in  imitation  of  animals — 
badgers,  toads  and  birds — have  also  been  found  upon  the  Illinois 
River,  in  Cass  County,  and  upon  the  White  River,  in  Indiana, 
showing  that  the  people  who  occupied  the  stations  were  acquainted 
with  the  same  animals  and  accustomed  to  use  the  same  kind  of 
pipe.  The  Davenport  pipes  are  not  so  skillfully  wrought  as  the 
Ohio  pipes,  but  have  the  same  general  pattern. 

They  were  not  all  of  them  found  in  the  fire  beds,  for  many  of 
them  were  discovered  in  mounds  where  the  fire  had  gone  out. 
These  mounds  are  situated  alon^  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  from  the  vicinity  of  Muscatine  through  Toolsboro, 
Moline,  Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  the  most  remarkable  spec 
imens  having  been  found  on  the  Cook  farm,  just  south  of 
the  latter  city.  There  were  fire  beds  and  altars  in  this  group, 
but  even  here,  as  in  the  case  of  other  mounds  where  there  was 
no  fire,  the  pipes  were  placed  near  the  bones,  which  were  still 
well  preserved,  and  none  of  them  showed  traces  of  fire. 

Let  us  here  notice  the  difference  between  the  tokens  in  the 
two  sections.  I.  In  Ohio  nearly  all  Mound-builder  pipes,  in 
cluding  the  finely  wrought  serpent  pipes  and  the  other  animal 
pipes,  had  been  placed  upon  the  altar  and  subjected  to  the 

'Journal  of  American  Folk-T.ore,  Vol.  IV,  No.  XIV.  Social  Organization  of  Th* 
Sivean,  by  J.  O.  Dor&e^  ,  page  215  bee  map  in  Chapter  U. 


234 

action  of  fire  and  so  badly  burned  that  they  were  broken  into 
fragments.  In  western  mounds  they  were  unbroken.  2.  Another 
difference  is  noticeable.  While  there  were  as  many  copper  relics 
in  the  Davenport  mounds,  as  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  they  were 
mainly  copper  axes,  many  of  which  were  wrapped  in  cloth  and 
placed  with  the  bodies.  Fig.  n.  Farquharson  calls  them  cere 
monial  axes.  There  were  no  signs  of  use  in  them.  They  varied 
in  size  and  shape,  some  of  them  being  flat,  others  flat  on  one  side, 
convex  on  other;  still  others  convex  on  both  sides.  The  cloth 
in  which  they  were  wrapped  was  well  preserved  by  action  of  the 
copper;  it  was  made  of  hemp  and  resembled  burlap.  In  the 
Ohio  mounds  no  such  copper  axes  have  been  found.  Copper 
beads  and  copper  chisels  are  numerous,  however,  and  beads  and 
pendants  are  as  common  as  in  Davenport.  3^The  characteristic 


Fig.  11.— Coppei-  Axes  and  Pottery  Vessels  from  Toolsboro. 

relic  of  the  altar  mounds  of  Ohio  is  the  copper  spool  ornament. 
In  the  Davenport  mound  there  were  very  few  spool  orna 
ments,  but  awls  and  needles  were  quite  numerous;  copper  beads 
and  pendants  were  common.  Many  of  these  were  found  in 
various  localities,  both  on  the  Scioto  River  and  in  the  Turner 
group.  4.  Another  point  of  difference  between  the  two  localities 
is  the  shape  of  the  altars.  Those  in  the  Davenport  mounds  are 
never  paved  as  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  the  altars  in  the  Davenport 
mounds  being  merely  round  heaps  of  stones  or  columns.  Near 
these  the  bodies  were  placed,  but  the  relics  were  beside  the 
bodies  and  not  upon  the  altars.  In  one  case  a  few  long  shin- 
bones  were  crossed  upon  the  top  of  the  altar  and  others  found 
leaning  against  the  side  of  the  stones,  but  no  relics.  The  bodies 
do  not  seem  to  be  cremated,  but  buried  in  the  fire.  The  relics, 
including  pipes,  copper  axes,  copper  awls,  and  obsidian  arrows, 
were  placed  at  the  side  or  head  of  the  body,  but  were  rarely 
burned. 

5.  Another  point  of  difference  is  that   burials  and  cremations 


235 

in  Ohio  were  made  before  the  mound  was  erected,  while  in  the 
Davenport  mounds,  if  there  was  any  cremating,  it  took  place  at 
the  time  of  burial,  and  the  fire  was  smothered  in  the  process  of 
mound  building.  Prof.  Putnam  explored  a  burial  mound  on  the 
Scioto  River,  which  was  situated  in  the  great  circle  near  the  east 
ern  corner  of  the  great  square.  It  was  160  feet  long,  90  feet 
wide  and  10  feet  high.  It  contained  a  dozen  burial  chambers 
made  from  logs.  In  these  chambers  the  bodies  were  placed  evi 
dently  wrapped  in  garments.  With  the  bodies  were  buried  va 
rious  objects,  such  as  copper-plates,  ear-rings,  shell  beads  and 
flint  knives,  and  on  the  breast  of  one  skeleton  was  a  thin  copper 
plate  or  ornament.  In  some  of  the  chambers  there  were  evi 
dences  of  fire  as  if  the  bodies  had  been  burned  on  the  spot. 
Prof.  Putnam's  opinion  is  that  the  burials  and  cremations  were 
made  before  the  mound  was  erected,  several  burnings  having 
occurred  in  one  spot.  The  mound  was  erected  over  all,  and  was 
finished  with  a  covering  of  gravel  and  with  a  border  of  loose 


Fig.  12 — Mound  near  Davenport. 

stones.  This  was  the  usual  manner  of  erecting  mounds  among 
the  fire  worshipers.  Squier  and  Davis  in  1840  dug  into  the  same 
mound  and  found  a  skeleton,  with  a  copper  plate  and  a  pipe. 
They  also  found  in  other  mounds  altars  in  which  bodies  had 
been  burned,  but  the  ashes  had  been  removed,  a  deposit  of  the 
ashes  being  found  at  one  side  of  the  altar.  6.  The  intense  heat  to 
which  the  relics  were  subjected  in  the  Ohio  mounds  as  com 
pared  to  the  partial  burning  in  the  Iowa  mounds  is  to  be  no 
ticed.  Prof.  Putnam  says  that  in  the  Turner  group  the  fire  was 
intense,  and  the  iron  masses  were  exposed  to  great  heat  on  the 
altar  and  were  more  or  less  oxydized.  Squier  and  Davis  say 
that  the  copper  relics  found  in  the  Ohio  altars  were  often  fused 
together,  and  the  pipes  of  the  Mound-builders  were  all  ot  them 
broken. 

The  question  here  arises,  who  were  these  fire-worshippers? 
Were  they  the  Cherokees,  who  survive  in  the  mountains  of  Ten 
nessee  ?  or  were  they  the  Dakotas,  who  so  lately  roam  the  prairies 
in  the  far  West?  or  were  they  some  unknown  people  ?  Our 
answer  to  this  question  is,  that  no  particular  tribe  can  be  said  to 
represent  the  fire  worshipers,  for  this  cult  prevailed  among  nearly 
all  the  different  classes  of  Mound-builders.  Mounds  containing 
fire  beds  have  been  found  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Ohio,  West  Virginia,  East  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  and  the 


236 

Gulf  States.  In  Wisconsin  the  fire  beds  are  without  relics;  in 
Iowa  they  contain  relics,  but  they  are  unburned;  in  Ohio  they 
contain  many  relics  which  seem  to  have  been  thrown  upon  the 
altars  as  offerings;  in  East  Tennessee  there  are  mounds  which 
contain  fire  beds  that  resemble  those  of  Ohio;  in  West  Tennessee 
the  mounds  contain  traces  of  fire,  but  no  altars  or  fire  beds.  The 
relics  are  unburned.  These  latter  mounds  are  said  to  have  been 
built  in  the  shape  of  cones,  the  cists  containing  the  bodies  being 
arranged  in  a  circle  about  a  central  space,  but  each  tier  being 
drawn  in  so  as  to  make  a  cone.  The  fire  was  in  the  center  of 
the  circle;  outside  the  circle,  near  the  heads,  were  pottery  ves 
sels,  which  made  a  circle  of  themselves,  the  whole  arrangement 
indicating  that  there  was  not  only  a  fire  cult  here,  but  that  it  was 
associated  with  sun  worship,  the  superstition  about  the  soul  being 
embodied  in  the  pottery  vessels,  the  three  forms  of  nature  wor 
ship  being  embodied  together  in  one  mound. 

We  call  attention  to  the  cuts  which  represent  the  fire  cult  of 
the  different  districts.  Fig  12  represents  a  mound  on  the  Cook 
farm  near  Davenport,  one  of  the  group  from  which  so  many 
relics  were  taken.  This  mound  contained  no  chamber,  but  in  its 
place  were  two  strata  of  limestone,  but  over  these  a  series  of 
a  skulls  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  crescent, 

around  each  skull  was  a  circle  of  stones. 
See  Fig.  13.  With  the  skeletons  in  the 
mound  were  two  copper  axes,  two  hemi 
spheres  of  copper  and  one  of  silver,  and 
several  arrows.  In  an  adjoining  mound 
were  two  skeletons  surrounded  by  a  cir- 
jj.-cve.cen*  «nd  circle.  de  of  red  stones;  the skeletons  were  under 

a  layer  of  ashes  and  with  them  were  several  copper  axes,  cop 
per  beads,  two  carved  stone  pipes,  one  in  the  shape  of  a  ground 
hog.  The  difference  in  the  mounds  will  be  noticed.  In  the 
latter  mounds  there  were  indications  of  fire  worship  and  sun 
worship.  Fig.  1 1  represents  the  vase  and  copper  axes  taken 
from  the  mound  at  Toolsboro.  They  exhibit  an  advanced  stage 
of  art  and  seem  to  indicate  that  the  Iowa  Mound  builders  did 
not  fall  much  behind  the  Ohio  Mound-builders  in  this  respect. 

The  Moquis  practice  a  modified  form  of  fire  worship.  No  other 
living  tribe  preserves  the  cult  to  the  same  degree,  and  yet  there 
is  no  evidence  that  the  Moquis  were  ever  Mound-builders.  Two 
theories  might  be  entertained  ;  one,  that  there  was  a  progress  in 
the  fire  worship  ;  another,  that  there  was  a  decline,  and  yet  there 
is  no  surviving  tribe  in  which  we  recognize  the  fire  cult  of  the 
ancient  times. 

We  can  say  that  while  the  tokens  of  the  fire  worshipers,  such 
as  fire  beds,  copper  relics  and  Mound-builders'  pipes,  are  found 
scattered  as  far  as  the  effigies  on  the  north  and  the  pyramids 
at  the  south,  these  three  classes  of  tokens,  one  indicating  ani- 


237 

mal  worship,  the  other  fire  worship,  and  the  third  sun  wor 
ship,  are  crowded  into  the  single  State  of  Illinois,  and  consti 
tute  the  tokens  of  the  middle  Mississippi  district.  We  notice 
also  that  the  relics  indicate  three  different  modes  of  life  or  occu 
pations.  Among  the  effigy  mounds  are  many  copper  relics,  but 
mainly  spear-heads,  arrow-heads,  chisels,  knives,  such  as  would 
be  used  by  hunters.  The  relics  in  the  fire  beds  and  burial 
grounds  near  Davenport  are  axes,  awls  and  needles ;  no  copper 
spear-heads  or  knives.  The  relics  south  of  these  fire-beds, 
especially  those  near  the  Cahokia  mound,  are  mainly  agricultural 
tools — spades,  hoes,  picks.  The  pottery  of  the  three  localities 
are  in  contrast,  showing  that  three  different  stages  of  art  and 
different  domestic  tastes  in  the  three  localities.  The  Mound- 
builder  pipes  are  not  found  either  among  the  effigies  or  pyra 
mids,  and  seem  to  be  confined  to  this  narrow  belt  between  the 
two. 

Still  the  fire  cult  must  have  been  early  in  the  Mound- 
builder  period.  We  notice  both  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and 
upon  the  Ohio  River  that  the  fire  beds  and  altars  are  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  mounds.  In  very  many  of  the  mounds  there  are 
layers  of  bodies,  some  of  which  were  recumbent,  others  in 
various  postures,  but  either  without  relics  or  having  relics  of  a 
ruder  or  more  modern  character.  These  may  have  been  depos 
ited  by  various  Indian  tribes,  such  as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Potta- 
wattamies  and  Illinois.  Mound-builder  pipes,  copper  axes  and 
other  relics  are  always  found  as  low  down  as  the  surface  of  the 
soil.  They  are  not  always  in  fire  beds,  but  frequently  there  will 
be  a  hard  floor  and  a  saucer-like  basin  below  the  bodies,  and 
above  them  piles  of  wood  or  logs,  conveying  the  idea  that  the 
intention  was  to  cremate  the  body,  but  the  fire  had  gone  out  be 
fore  the  wood  had  been  burned.  The  descriptions  given  by  all 
the  explorers  of  the  mounds  of  this  vicinity  are  always  to  this 
effect.* 

IV.  The  prevalence  of  the  moon  cult  will  next  be  considered. 
The  moon  cult  was  evidently  associated  with  sun-worship,  and 
prevailed  in  the  district  where  the  works  of  the  sun-worshippers 
are  so  numerous,  namely:  Southern  Ohio.  The  evidences  of 
this  are  as  follows:  i.  In  this  district  we  find  earth-works,  which 
seem  to  be  symbolical  of  the  moon;  their  shape,  location  and 
probable  use  show  this.  They  are  crescent  shape,  but  are  some 
times  grouped  around  circles,  and  were  probably  used  in  con 
nection  with  dances  and  feasts,  which  were  sacred  to  the  moon. 
We  take  for  illustration  the  works  whicn  are  called  the  Junc 
tion  Group,  which  is  described  by  Squier  and  Davis.  This  group 
is  situated  on  Paint  Creek,,  two  and  one  half  miles  southwest  of 

*See  descriptions  by  Rev.  G.  A.  Gass,  C.  E.  Harrison,  W.  H.  Pratt,  C.  H.  Preeston. 
Rev.  A.  Bloomer,  A.  F.  Tiffany,  R.  J.  Farqueson;  also  proceedings  of  Davenport 
Academy  of  Science.  Vol.  I.,  page  96  to  143;  Vol.  II.,  pages  141  and  269;  Vol.  III. 
MB ;  Vol.  V.,  itogte  8f7;  alto  American  Antiquarian. 


238 

the  town  of  Chillicothe.  It  consists  of  four  circles,  three  cres 
cents,  two  square  works  and  four  mounds.  The  eastern  enclos 
ure  is  the  principal  one,  and,  in  common  with  all  the  rest,  con 
sists  of  a  wall  three  feet  high  with  an  interior  ditch.  It  is  two 
hundred  and  forty  feet  square;  the  angles  much  curved,  giving 
it  very  nearly  the  form  of  a  circle.  The  area  bounded  by  the 
ditch  is  an  accurate  square  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  side, 
and  is  entered  from  the  south  by  a  gateway  twenty-five  feet  wide. 
To  the  southwest  of  this  work,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
distant,  is  a  small  mound,  inclosed  by  a  ditch  and  wall,  with  a 
gateway  opening  to  it  from  the  north.  The  ditch  dips  from  the 
base  of  the  mound,  which  is  three  feet  high  by  thirty  feet  base. 


Fig.  Ik. — Junction  Group, 

Almost  touching  the  circle  enclosing  the  mound  is  the  horn  of 
a  crescent  work,  having  a  chord  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
feet.  Sixty-six  feet  distant,  in  the  same  direction,  is  still  another 
crescent,  which  terminates  in  a  mound  of  sacrifice,  seven  feet 
high  by  forty-five  feet  base,  which  commands  the  entire  group  of 
works.  This  mound  was  opened  and  found  to  contain  an  altar; 
such  an  altar  as  is  peculiar  to  mounds  devoted  to  religious  pur 
poses.  Upon  it  were  a  number  of  relics  clearly  pertaining  to  the 
Mound-builders.  In  reference  to  these  works  Squier  and  Davis 
say:  "That  they  were  not  designed  for  defense  is  obvious;  and 
that  they  were  devoted  to  religious  rites  is  more  than  probable. 
Similar  groups  are  frequent.  Indeed,  small  circles  resembling 
these  here  represented,  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  class  found 
in  the  Scioto  Valley." 

Next  is  the  Blackwater  group.     This  is  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Scioto,  eight  miles  above  Chillicothe.     It  is  especi- 


239 


ally  remarkable  for  its  singular  parallels  (A  and  B  of  the  plan). 
Each  of  these  is  750  feet  long  by  60  broad.  A  gateway  opens 
from  the  southern  parallel  to  the  east.  They  were  in  cleared 
ground  and  have  been  cultivated  for  twenty  years.  The  ground 
embraced  in  the  semi-circular  works  (C  and  B)  is  reduced  several 
feet  below  the  plain  on  which  they  are  located.  The  resem 
blance  between  this  group  and  the  one  just  described  will  be 
noticed.  I.  The  group  is  arranged  in  an  irregular  circle.  2. 
There  are  three  cres 
cents  in  the  group,  each 
of  them  opening  into 
the  central  space.  3. 
There  is  a  small  circle 
with  a  ditch  and  mound 
enclosed,  the  usual  sun 
symbol  of  this  region. 
4.  A  conical  burial 
mound  is  found  near 
one  of  the  crescents.  5. 
The  location  of  the 
group  is  quite  similar 
to  that  of  the  Junction 
group,  being  in  a  high 
place  above  the  river, 
this  one  being  some  two 
or  three  miles  from 
Hopeton,  the  Junction 
group  being  two  miles 
southwest  of  Chillico- 
the.  Both  of  them  oc 
cupy  the  third  terrace 
and  overlook  the  other 
works  in  the  vicinity. 

Another  place  where 
the  crescent- shaped 
wall  is  found  is  in  the 
township  of  Seal,  Pike  County.  The  large  work  and  the  small 
circles  would  attract  especial  attention.  The  larger  enclosures, 
situated  on  the  terrace  above  the  bottom  land,  consist  of  the 
usual  figures,  the  square  and  circle,  the  square  measuring  800 
feet  and  the  circle  1, 050  feet,  the  connection  by  parallel  walls, 475 
feet.  In  the  small  works  we  have  the  square,  the  circle,  the 
ellipse,  separate  and  in  combination,  and  the  crescent,  all  of 
them  arranged  as  usual  around  an  open  space.  From  the  small 
circle  (D)  a  wall  leads  off  along  the  brow  of  the  terrace.  It  is 
probable  that  at  the  other  end  oi  this  wall  there  was  another 
small  circle  which  has  been  destroyed  by  the  wasting  of  the 
bank.  The  river  now  runs  at  a  distance,  but  it  seems  to  have 


Fig.  15.—Blackwater  Group. 


240 


worn  the  terrace  away  in  several  places  before  it  receded.  This 
shows  the  antiquity  of  the  works.  Nothing  can  surpass  the 
symmetry  of  the  small  work  (A).  The  other  enclosures  are 
perfect  figures  of  their  kind.  The  walls  of  the  square  coincide 
with  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  a  fact  which  has  great 
importance  in  connection  with  this  form  oi  nature  worship. 


Fig.  16.— Symbolic  Works  in  Seal  Toumship,  Ohio. 

The  object  of  these  works  is  unknown,  but  our  theory  is  that 
the  small  figures  mark  a  place  of  assembly  for  the  clan  which 
resided  in  the  square  enclosure,  a  peculiar  symbolism  being  em 
bodied  in  them.  It  may  be  that  there  was  a  secret  order  which 
perpetuated  the  religion  of  the  people  and  which  ruled  over  their 
feasts,  the  group  of  mounds  being  the  place  where  their  mys 
teries  were  celebrated. 


241 

There  are  various  crescent-shaped  walls,  near  certain  forts  in 
Southern  Ohio,  which  we  take  to  be  symbolic,  and  imagine  that 
there  was  a  protective  power  in  the  symbol.  An  illustration  of 
this  is  found  at  Massie's  Creek,  seven  miles  from  Xenia.  There 
we  find  a  wall  of  stone  surrounding  an  inclosure.  This  wall, 
near  the  gateway,  is  ten  feet  high,  with  thirty  feet  base.  Just 
outside  the  gateways  are  the  stone  mounds,  so  situated  as  to 
guard  the  entrances ;  outside  the  stone  mounds  are  four  short, 
crescent-shaped  stone  walls,  each  about  three  feet  in  height,  the 
four  making  an  outwork  to  the  fort,  on  the  side  toward  the 
highlands.  Our  conjecture  is  that  these  were  in  the  shape  of 
crescents,  as  the  walls  at  Fort  Ancient  were  in  the  shape  of  ser 
pents, — the  superstition  being  that  the  symbol  itself  was  a  source 
of  safety.  There  are  several  other  forts  which  have  crescent- 
shaped  entrances,  one  being  at  Bourneville,  a  region  where  the 
sun  worshipers  dwelt  and  had  numerous  villages. 

Another  evidence  is  to  be  found  in  the  many  crescent-shaped 
walls,  near  square  enclosures,  whose  use  is  unknown  except  as 
symbols  of  the  moon.  There  are  three  such  walls  near  a  square 
enclosure,  just  opposite  the  stone  fort  on  Massie's  Creek,  evi 
dently  connected  with  that  fort.* 

There  are  crescent-shaped  walls  also  within  the  enclosures  at 
Marietta,  as  well  as  at  the  new  fort  at  Fort  Ancient;  also  at 
Liberty  Township.  The  crescent-shaped  wall,  near  the  bird  effigy 
in  the  large  circle  at  Newark,  is  to  be  noticed.  These  fragment 
ary  walls  may  have  had  a  practical  use  as  well  as  symbolic,  but 
the  fact  that  they  are  so  frequently  associated  with  the  square 
and  circle,  and  so  peculiarly  related  to  those  figures,  would  in 
dicate  that  they  were  symbols  of  the  moon.  It  would  seem 
from  the  study  of  the  enclosures  that  these  walls  mark  the  place 
of  religious  assemblies  or  the  residences  of  the  priests  or  medi 
cine  men,  and  that  they  correspond  to  the  sweat-house  or  ro 
tunda  of  the  southern  tribes  and  to  the  estufas  of  the  Pueblos 
though  the  crescents  themselves  may  have  been  only  the  seats 
of  the  chiefs  and  prominent  men  as  they  gathered  around  the 
sacred  fire,  which  sent  up  its  spiral  column  in  the  centre  of  the 
temple,  which  was  consecrated  to  the  sun. 

The  work  near  Bainbridge,  Ross  County,  situated  on  the  Val 
ley  of  Paint  Creek,  affords  another  of  the  thousand  various  com 
binations.  It  can  only  be  explained  in  connection  with  the 
superstition  of  the  builders.  It  could  answer  no  good  purpose 
for  protection,  or  subserve  any  useful  purpose,  such  as  the 
limits  of  fields,  or  boundaries  of  villages. 

There  is  another  point  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
earth-works  in  Southern  Ohio.  Many  of  them  have  exactly  the 
same  shape  with  the  relics  and  badges  which  are  taken  from  the 


*See  Ancient  Monuments,  page  94.    Plate  XXXIV. 


242 

mounds,  the  two  together  showing  that  the  moon  cult  must 
have  been  dominant.  Among  these  we  may  mention  those 
crescent-shaped  altars,  in  which  the  silvery  mica  is  supposed  to 
have  reflected  the  light  of  the  moon,  such  as  was  found  at 
Mound  City,  and  the  crescent-shaped  pavement,  near  the  great 
mound  at  Circleville,  both  of  which  were  evidently  symbolic. 
We  recognize  the  counterparts  to  these  in  the  various  maces  and 
badges  and  leaf-shaped  relics.  These  maces  are  frequently 
crescent-shaped,  some  of  them  double  crescents.  They  may 
have  been  placed  at  the  heads  of  staffs  and  borne  by  medicine 
men  or  priests  at  the  head  of  processions  at  their  sacred  feasts, 
but  they  show  in  their  shape  that  there  was  a  symbolism  among 
the  Mound-builders  in  which  the  moon-shaped  crescent  was  a 
prominent  figure.  IVe  sometimes  recognize  in  the  maces  the 
sun  circle,  but  the  crescent  was  more  common.  What  is  most 
singular  about  the  earthworks  and  relics  is,  that  the  same  shapes 
are  recognized  both  in  the  altars  themselves  and  the  relics  con 
tained  within  them. 


Fig.  17.— Altar  of  Leaf-shaped  Implements. 

We  may  say  in  this  connection  that  an  altar  was  found  upon 
the  Illinois  river,  in  Cass  County,  which  consisted  of  several  layers 
of  leaf-shaped  implements,  which  were  almost  the  exact  counter 
part  of  one  found  in  Mound  City,  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  The 
body  on  this  altar  was  not  burned.  There  was  upon  the  breast 
a  copper  plate  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  shell  gorgets,  and  other 
relics.  Dr  Snyder  says  the  mound  gave  evidence  of  a  water 
cult;  but  the  resemblance  to  the  Ohio  mounds  would  show  that 
it  was  connected  with  the  fire  cult.  In  reference  to  the  shape  of 
these  flint  relics  and  their  religious  significance,  we  may  say  that 
the  exploring  party  led  by  Mr.  Warren  K,  Moorehead  has  re 
cently  came  upon  a  remarkable  find,  which  consisted  of  7,300 
flint  relics,  placed  in  an  oval  bed,  at  the  bottom  of  an  elliptical 
mound.  The  shape  of  the  altar  and  mound  corresponded,  though 
the  axis  of  the  stone  heap  trended  west,  while  the  mound  itself 
was  directly  north  and  south.  This  fire  bed  is  said  to  have  been 
twenty  feet  wide  by  thirty  feet  long,  and  the  flint  relies  which 
constituted  the  pavement  varied  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  in 
length  and  five  to  eight  inches  in  width,  making  the  pavement 
something  over  a  foot  in  depth.  This  find  was  upon  the  north 
fork  of  Paint  Creek,  in  the  group  of  mounds  from  which  Squier 


243 

and  Davis,  many  years  ago,  took  so  many  valuable  and  curious 
relics,  showing  that  the  offerings  which  were  placed  upon  the 
altar  were  in  reality  devoted  to  the  moon  as  well  as  to  the  sun, 
the  mound,  the  altar  and  the  relics  being  combined  in  symboliz 
ing  the  different  phases  of  the  moon.  Our  conclusion  is  that 
the  moon  cult  was  as  prominent  as  the  fire  cult,  and  that  both 
of  these  were  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  sun-worshipers. 
They  gave  significance  to  the  altars,  the  relics  and  the  earth 
works  of  this  region.  Proofs  of  all  this  are  given  in  the  fact 
that  offerings  were  placed  upon  altars  which  were  very  carefully 
constructed,  the  shapes  of  the  altars  perhaps  being  symbolic. 
The  fire  was  lighted  until  the  offerings  were  consumed. 

Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  this  when  they  describe  the  mounds 
in  Mound  City:  Mound  No.  I  showed  traces  of  fire  near  the 
summit,  which  increased  until  the  altar  was  reached.  The  relics 
found  within  the  altar  varied.  In  one  they  consisted  of  fragments 
of  pottery,  ornamented  very  tastefully,  convex  [copper  discs  and 
a  layer  of  silvery  mica,  in  sheets  overlapping  each  other,  and 
above  the  layer  a  quantity  of  human  bones. 

Mound  No.  2  contained  an  altar  in  the  shape  of  a  parallelo 
gram  of  the  utmost  regularity.  It  measured  at  the  base  8xio 
feet,  and  at  the  top  4x6  feet,  and  was  18  inches  high;  dip  of  the 
basin  Q  inches.  Within  the  basin  was  a  deposit  of  fine  ashes, 
fragments  of  pottery  and  a  few  pearl  and  shell  beads.  This 
mound  also  contained  an  intruded  burial,  for  at  three  feet  below 
the  surface  two  skeletons  were  found.  With  these  skeletons 
were  found  implements  of  stone,  horn  and  bone,  as  follows: 
Several  hand-axes  and  gouges;  beautiful  chip  of  horn-stone,  the 
size  of  one's  hand;  several  knife  handles  made  of  deer's  horn; 
an  implement  made  from  the  shoulder-blade  of  a  buffalo,  and  a 
notched  instrument  of  bone,  designed  for  distributing  paint  in 
lines  on  the  faces  of  the  warriors. 

Mound  No.  3  is  egg-shaped;  measured  140x60  feet,  u  feet 
high;  contained  four  strata.  At  the  base  of  this  mound  there 
was  a  double  altar.  The  entire  length  of  the  bottom  altar  was 
not  far  from  60  feet;  that  of  the  upper  was  15  feet.  The  dip  of 
the  first  basin  was  18  inches.  Relics  were  found  within  the 
smaller  basin.  It  was  found  that  the  one  altar  had  been  built  and 
used  for  a  time,  and  then  another  one  built  within  this  basin,  the 
process  having  been  repeated  three  times,  the  ridge  forming 
the  last  altar  having  a  basin  8  feet  square,  while  the  first  altar 
was  five  times  that  size,  or  40  feet  in  diameter.  The  relics  found 
in  this  mound  were  numerous  and  valuable.  They  were  as  fol 
lows:  A  large  number  of  spear-heads,  quartz  and  garnet;  an 
obsidian  arrow-point,  and  other  arrow-heads  of  limpid  quartz. 
These  had  been  so  broken  by  the  heat,  that  out  of  a  bushel  or 
two  of  fragments,  only  four  specimens  were  recovered  entirely. 
Among  the  copper  relics  were  the  following:  Two  copper 


244 

chisels,  one  measuring  6,  the  other  8  inches  in  length;  twenty 
copper  tubes  or  beads,  one  and  a  quarter  inches  long,  three- 
eighths  in  diameter  ;  two  carved  pipes  were  discovered,  one  in 
the  shave  of  a  toucan  cut  in  white  lime-stone ;  a  large  quantity 
of  pottery,  out  of  which  two  vases  were  restored. 

Mound  No.  7  was  17^  feet  in  height,  90  feet  base.  It  was 
composed  of  six  different  strata  of  soil  and  sand,  and  contained 
at  its  base  a  floor  of  clay  or  altar,  at  one  side  of  which  was  a  layer 
of  silvery  mica  formed  of  round  sheets,  10  inches  or  a  foot  in 
diameter,  overlapping  each  other  like  the  scales  of  a  fish,  which 
made  a  pavement  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent  around  the  altar 
twenty  feet  long  and  five  feet  wide.  The  mound  was  very  com 
pact,  required  an  immense  amount  of  labor  to  excavate  it.  Squier 
and  Davis  say  that  the  presence  of  the  mica  crescent  renders  it 
probable  that  the  Mound-builders  worshiped  the  moon  and  that 
this  mound  was  erected  with  unknown  rites  to  that  luminary. 

The  personal  ornaments  which  have  been  found  indicate  the 
same  thing.  Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  discovering  certain 
scrolls  and  discs  made  from  sheets  of  silvery  mica,  which  were 
perfect  in  their  outline.  These  were  perforated  with  a  single 
hole,  and  were  probably  attached  in  some  way  to  the  dress. 
When  placed  together  they  make  an  ornament  which  reminds  us 
of  the  celebrated  "winged  globe"  or  feathered  disc,  which  was 
so  common  in  Egypt  and  the  East.  The  shell  gorgets,  which 
are  so  numerous  at  the  south,  represent  the  same  symbols.  These 
contain  crescent-shaped  figures  in  the  center,  surrounded  by  cir 
cles,  with  dots  between  the  circles:  the  whole  contained  within 
four  concentric  rings;  the  number  four  symbolizing  the  four 
quarters  of  the  sky,  the  dots  symbolizing  the  stars,  the  small 
circles  the  sun  and  the  crescent  in  the  center  the  moon.  These 
gorgets  are  never  found  in  Ohio,  but  they  show  that  the  moon 
cult  was  associated  with  the  solar  cult  among  the  Mound-build 
ers  of  the  south. 


UNIVERSITY 

V^UFORNiA; 


245 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 

In  our  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  different  systems  of  relig 
ion  prevalent  among  the  Mound  builders,  with  especial  regard 
to  their  location  and  geographical  distribution.  We  noticed  that 
there  were  different  systems  embodied  in  the  works  of  the  differ 
ent  districts.  The  works  of  the  effipy-builders,  who  were 
probably  hunters,  indicated  totemism;  those  of  the  tomb-builders 
of  the  prairies,  who  were  nomads,  denoted  animism ;  those  of 
the  altar-builders  of  the  middle  district,  who  were  agriculturists, 
exhibited  fire  worship ;  the  sacred  enclosures  or  villages  of  the 
Ohio  district  denoted  the  moon  cult.  We  did  not,  however, 
complete  the  study  of  the  districts,  nor  did  we  exhaust  all  the 
systems  prevalent.  It  remains  for  us  to  finish  this  task. 

There  still  remain  to  be  considered  several  other  systems — the 
water  cult,  the  solar  cult,  and  the  beginnings  of  image  worship. 
These  found  their  embodiment  in  the  works  and  relics  of  the 
three  districts — those  on  the  Ohio  River,  the  mountain  district 
and  the  gulf  district — the  tokens  of  each  cult  being  found  in  all 
three  districts  and  the  systems  having  apparently  overlapped  one 
another  throughout  the  entire  region.  We  are  to  devote  the 
present  chapter  to  two  of  these  systems,  the  water  cult  and  the 
solar  cult. 

These  systems  were  associated  with  the  fire  cult  and  serpent 
worship,  and  in  some  places  seem  to  have  been  attended  with  the 
phallic  symbol  and  the  human  tree  figure,  these  symbols  having 
been  distributed  over  the  middle  and  southern  districts.  They 
prove  the  religious  systems  of  the  Southern  Mound-builders  were 
much  more  elaborate  and  highly  developed  than  those  of  the 
Northern  Mound-builders,  suggesting  that  the  Southern  Mound- 
builders  belonged  to  a  different  race  or  received  their  religion 
from  a  different  source.  These  systems  are  certainly  more  arti 
ficial,  more  highly  organized,  and  show  more  highly  developed 
thought.  They  may  have  sprung  from  nature  worship,  the  same 
as  the  northern  systems,  and  been  owing  to  the  growth  of  relig 
ious  sentiment  in  the  more  permanent  and  advanced  condition  of 
society  which  prevailed  at  the  south.  Still,  there  are  so  many 
strange  symbols  in  these  districts,  resembling  those  in  oriental 
countries,  that  we  are  tempted  to  ascribe  them  to  contact  with 
civilized  races,  and  to  say  that  they  are  identically  the  same  as 


246 

those  prevailing  in  Europe,  Asia  and  the  tar  East,  and  must  have 
been  transmitted  to  this  country.  We  do  not  undertake  to  follow 
up  the  channel  through  which  they  flowed,  nor  to  decide  as  to 
the  country  trom  which  they  came,  but  we  can  not  help  the 
conviction  that  they  bear  the  impress  of  systems  which  are  known 
in  historic  countries  and  which  appear  in  the  early  ages  in  those 
countries. 

We  imagine  that  there  was  once  in  the  far  East  a  system  ot 
nature  worship  which  was  as  rude  as  anything  found  in  America; 
that  at  that  time  the  elements  of  fire,  water,  lightning,  the  sun 
and  moon,  and  all  the  nature  powers,  were  worshiped,  or.  at  least, 
divine  attributes  ascribed  to  them.  We  are  sure  that  serpent 
worship  and  tree  worship  prevailed,  and  appeared  in  the  East, 
though  we  do  not  know  exactly  at  what  time  they  appeared. 
Phallic  worship  and  image  worship  also  came  in  at  a  certain  stage 
in  the  progress  of  thought.  The  last  served  to  corrupt  and  degrade 
the  other  systems,  and  very  soon  perverted  them,  so  that  they 
became  sources  of  degradation  to  the  people.  The  Scriptures 
condemn  these,  and  history  confirms  the  justice  of  the  sen 
tence.  The  tradition  of  the  serpent  in  the  Scriptures  may  be  an 
allegory  or  a  statement  of  fact,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
serpent  worship  was  a  source  of  degradation  and  a  sentence  was 
placed  upon  it  by  enlightened  conscience.  The  personification  of 
the  nature  powers  did  not  elevate  the  people,  for  when  the  per 
sonification  grew  more  elaborate  the  moral  practices  grew  more 
degraded.  When  the  Eleusinian  mysteries  were  introduced  into 
Egypt  and  Greece,  everything  became  significant  of  the  processes 
of  nature.  Names  were  given  to  the  nature  powers,  and  myths 
were  invented  to  explain  the  origin  of  the  names  ;  but  the  myths 
and  mysteries  did  not  save  the  people  from,  degradation. 

While  the  doctrine  of  immortality  and  the  future  state  was 
understood  and  the  anticipation  was  symbolized  by  nature  wor 
ship,  yet  cruelties  were  practiced  and  degraded  rites  attended  the 
worship  of  the  elements.  The  phallic  worship  and  fire  worship 
were  devoted  to  human  sacrifices,  and  sun  worship  itself  was 
attended  with  the  immolation  of  human  victims. 

All  of  these  systems  are  found  in  America,  and  their  symbols 
are  scattered  far  and  wide.  We  do  not  know  whether  they  are  to  be 
connected  with  the  decline  of  religion  in  oriental  countries,  or 
with  the  progress  of  religion  in  America,  for  they  are  closely 
connected  with  the  nature  worship,  from  which  all  moral  distinc 
tions  were  absent.  Still,  the  symbols  which,  in  Eastern  lands, 
are  suggestive  of  degraded  practices  are  the  very  symbols  prev 
alent  here.  They  are  symbols  which,  in  the  East,  belonged  to 
the  secret  mysteries,  the  very  mysteries  which  were  so  full  of 
cruelties  and  degradations. 

We  maintain  that  the  religion  of  the  Mound-builders  not  only 
embodied  the  same  elements  as  those  which  became  so  strong 


247 

in  the  oriental  religions  when  at  a  certain  stage,  but  it  shows 
how  these  elements  interacted.  The  fire  became  the  symbol  of 
the  sun  and  consumed  the  offerings  made  to  the  sun,  and  became 
sacred  as  his  servant.  The  serpent  was  frequently  regarded 
as  a  divinity  in  some  way  amenable  to  the  sun,  and  so  serpent 
pipes  and  serpent  effigies  were  connected  with  the  sun  circle  in 
the  symbolism  of  the  Mound-builders.  It  is  possible  that  there 
was  a  certain  kind  of  tree  worship;*  the  same  element  of  life  hav 
ing  its  chief  embodiment  in  the  tree,  which  was  able  to  stand  up 
in  its  force.  The  moon  cult  also  prevailed,  for  the  moon  is  al 
ways  an  attendant  upon  the  sun.  Whether  there  was  a  distinc 
tion  of  sex  between  the  sun  and  moon  is  unknown;  but  the  sun 
circle  and  Jthe  moon  crescent  may  have  been  male  and  female. 

These  three  types  of  nature  worship,  in  which  the  fire,  the 
serpent  and  the  sun  were  the  chief  divinities,  probably  prevailed 
throughout  the.  Mound-builders'  territory,  though  their  symbols 
varied  with  different  localities.  We  recognize  the  water  cult, 
the  solar  cult,  and  the  image  worship,  as  different  phases  of 
nature  worship;  but  we  find  that  in  the  symbols  there  was  a  re 
markable  resemblance  to  the  symbolism  of  other  countries,  and 
whether  able  or  not  to  trace  one  to  the  other,  we  are  struck  with 
the  thought  that  there  was  a  studied  and  intentional  symbolism, 
which  resembled  that  of  the  Druids,  in  all  their  earthworks.  The 
altars,  the  temple  platforms,  the  burial  mounds,  the  dance  circles, 
the  village  enclosures,  and  the  covered  ways,  were  all  here  used 
not  only  for  practical  purposes  and  such  as  would  subserve  the 
convenience  of  the  people  living  in  the  villages,  but  they  were 
especially  devoted  to  religious  purposes  and  contained  sym 
bols  in  them.  The  relics  also  were  symbolic,  and  many  of 
them  were  buried  with  the  persons, — their  very  position,  in  con 
nection  with  the  bodies,  having  a  religious  significance.  It  was 
not  one  cult  alone  that  was  symbolized  in  these,  for  some  of  the 
burial  mounds  contained  offerings  to  the  spirit  of  the  dead — the 
symbols  of  the  soul  being  placed  in  the  mouth;  but  there  were 
other  offerings  made  to  the  water,  to  the  sun,  others  to  the  fire, 
and  others  to  the  moon.  The  relics  placed  upon  the  altars,  the 
ornaments,  the  flint  discs,  the  copper  crescents,  the  mica 
plates,  the  carved  images,  and  the  pottery  figures,  were  all  conse 
crated  to  the  sun,  and,  when  placed  as  offerings  upon  the  altar, 
bore  in  their  shape  the  symbol  of  the  sun,  as  much  as  the  altars 
themselves,  or  the  earth-works  in  which  they  were  enclosed. 
There  is  no  locality  where  this  system  of  sun  worship  is  not 
symbolized.  What  is  more,  the  system  seemed  to  have  brought 
into  its  service,  and  made  useful,  the  symbols  of  the  preceding 

*This  is  the  explanation  given  by  the  Dakotas  of  tree  worship.  The  spirit  of  life 
was  in  the  tree.  It  may  be  that  this  will  account  for  the  tree  worship  in  the  East, 
and  will  explain  how  tree  worship  and  phallic  worship  became  associated.  The  two 
in  the  East  were  symbolized  by  the  sacred  groves,  so-called,  the  symbol  of  Asharah, 
or  Astarte,  the  moon  goddess. 


248 

stages  of  worship.  The  serpent,  the  phallic  symbol,  the  carved 
animals,  the  crescent-shaped  relics,  the  fire-beds, — all  were  as 
sociated  with  the  sun  circle  and  made  parts  of  the  symbolism  of 
sun  worship.  We  imagine  the  combination  to  have  been  as  fol 
lows:  The  sun  symbol  was  embodied  in  the  earth  circles;  the 
moon  cult  in  the  altars;  the  fire  cult  in  the  ashes  in  and  beside 
the  altars;  the  water  cult  in  the  ponds  and  wells  found  in  and 
near  the  enclosures;  animal  worship  in  the  effigies;  the  phallic 
symbol  in  the  horse-shoe  earth-works.  We  also  find  that  the 
elements,  such  as  the  four  quarters  of  the  sky,  four  winds,  four 
points  of  the  compass,  are  symbolized  by  the  cross  and  four  con 
centric  circles.  So  we  come  to  look  at  everything  as  more  or 
less  symbolic.  It  is  remarkable,  as  we  study  the  village  sites, 
how  many  of  the  conveniencies  of  village  life  were  placed  under 
the  protection  of  the  sun  divinity,  and  how  much  provision  was 
made  for  the  worship  of  the  sun  under  all  circumstances.  We 
notice  that  the  ponds  and  springs  are  near  the  villages;  that 
covered  ways  connect  the  villages  with  the  river's  bank,  and  we 
imagine  there  was  among  the  Mound-builders,  as  well  as  among 
the  Pueblos  and  Cliff-dwellers,  a  cult  which  regarded  springs  and 
rivers  as  sacred  and  peopled  them  with  divinities.  We  imagine 
that  the  most  sacred  ceremonies  were  observed  in  connection  with 
these  springs,  and  that  the  elaborate  earth-works  were  erected 
to  give  solemnity  to  the  various  mysteries,  which  were  directed 
by  the  secret  orders.  These  different  cults  were  combined,  but, 
for  the  sake  of  convenience,  it  will  be  well  to  take  them  up 
separately. 

I.  First  let  us  consider  the  water  cult.  This  is  a  system  which 
was  very  obscure  in  America,  as,  in  fact,  it  was  in  the  East.  It 
seems  to  have  existed  here,  but  was  closely  connected  with  the 
solar  cult,  the  ceremonies  of  that  cult  requiring  the  presence  of 
water  to  make  it  complete.  We  have  shown  how  extensively  dis 
tributed  was  the  tradition  of  the  flood  in  America,  how  varied 
was  the  symbolism  which  perpetuated  this  tradition.  We  do  not 
know  that  any  such  tradition  existed  among  the  Mound-builders 
nor  can  we  discover  any  symbol  which  perpetuated  it;  but  the 
water  cult  which  we  recognize  is  very  similar  to  that  which  pre 
vailed  in  Europe  at  a  very  early  date,  and  was  there  symbolized 
in  the  prehistoric  earth-works.  We  turn,  then,  to  the  resemblance 
which  may  be  recognized  between  some  of  the  earth-works  in 
Southern  Ohio  and  those  in  Great  Britain.  We  have  already 
spoken  of  this,  but  as  certain  new  investigations  and  new  discov 
eries  have  been  made,  we  review  the  evidence. 

i.  The  first  group  of  works  which  we  shall  cite  is  the  one 
at  Portsmouth.  The  chief  evidence  is  given  by  the  avenues  or 
the  covered  ways,  which  seem  to  have  connected  the  enclosures 
on  the  different  sides  of  the  river.  These,  by  aid  of  the  ferry 
across  the  river,  must  have  been  the  scene  of  extensive  religious 


249 

processions,  which  can  be  compared  to  nothing  better  than  the 
mysterious  processions  ot  Druid  priests  which  once  characterized 
the  sacrifices  to  the  sun  among  the  ancient  works  of  Great  Brit 
ain.  It  has  been  estimated  that  the  length  of  the  avenues  or 
covered  ways  was  eight  miles.  The  parallel  walls  measure  about 
four  feet  in  height  and  twenty  feet  base,  and  were  not  far  from 
1 60  feet  apart.  It  is  in  the  middle  group  that  we  discover  the 
phallic  symbol  (see  Fig.  i),  the  fire  cult,  the  crescent  of  the 
moon  and  the  sun  circle.  In  the  works  upon  the  west  bank  of 
the  Scioto  we  find  the  effigy  enclosed  in  a  circle  (see  Fig.  2),  as 
a  sign  of  animal  worship,  and  in  the  concentric  circles  (see  Fig.  3) 
with  the  enclosed  conical  mound,  on  the  Kentucky  side,  we  find 
the  symbols  of  sun 
worship.  We  would 

here  call  attention  •  MaswMitf.jpj ,.•»•»»*_  ^       ^ -'X^. 

to  the  theories  re 
cently  thrown  out 
by  Mr.  A.  L.  Lewis 
that  the  water  cult 
was  combined  with 
the  sun  cult  at  the 


iXSMiRj 

& 


fig.  1.— Horse  Shoe  Enclosures  at  Portsmouth. 


great  works  at  Ave- 
bury;  the  avenues 
made  of  standing 
stones  having  pass 
ed  over  the  Kennet 
Creek  before  they 
reached  the  circle  at 
Beckhampton ;  the  same  is  true  at  Stanton  Drew  and  at  Mount 
Murray,  in  the  Isle  of  Man.  In  each  of  these  places  were  covered 
avenues  reaching  across  marshy  ground  towards  the  circles.  "If 
the  circles  were  places  of  worship  or  sacrifice,  such  avenues  con 
necting  them  with  running  streams  may  have  had  special  object 
or  meaning."* 

Mr.  Lewis  says:  "I  have  never  adopted  Stukeley's  snake 
theory,  ior  I  could  never  see  any  great  resemblance  to  a  serpent, 
nor  could  I  see  any  thing  very  suggestive  of  a  serpent  in  the  ar 
rangement  of  the  other  circles.  Still,  Stukeley's  statements  about 
the  stones  of  the  avenue,  leading  from  the  great  circle  toward 
the  river,  are  very  precise."  Stukeley  says:  "There  were  two 
sets  of  concentric  circles  surrounded  by  another  circle,  which 
was  encircled  by  a  broad,  deep  ditch,  outside  of  which  was  an 
embankment  large  enough  for  a  railway;  two  avenues  of  stone 
leading  southwest  and  southeast.  The  theory  now  is  that  they 
led  across  the  water  of  Kennet  Creek  to  Beckhampton  and  to 
Overton  Hill.  The  so-called  coves  in  the  large  circles  mark  the 


*Journal  of  Anthropological  Institute,  February,  1891 


250 


site  of  altars,  whereon  human  sacrifice  may  have  been  offered  to 
the  sun;  but  the  avenues  mark  the  place. through  which  proces 
sions  passed  in  making  their  sacrifices, — a  passage  over  water 
being  essential  to  the  ceremony." 

This  is  a  new  explanation  of  these  works,  but  it  is  one  which 
becomes  very  significant  in  connection  with  the  works  at  Ports 
mouth.  Here  the  avenues  approach  the  river  in  such  a  way  as 
to  show  that  a  canoe  ferry  was  used  to  cross  the  river,  the  cere 
mony  being  made  more  significant  by  that  means.  The  covered 
ways,  to  be  sure,  do  not  reach  the  edge" of  the  water,  but  termi 
nate  with  the  second  terrace,  leaving  the  bottom-land  without 
any  earth-work.  This  would  indicate  that  the  works  are  very 
old,  and  were,  in  fact,  built  when  the  waters  covered  the  bottom 
land.  It  may  be  said,  in  this  connection,  that  all  the  covered 
ways  are  similar  to  these;  they  end  at  the  second  terrace,  and 

were  evidently  built 
when  the  flood- 
plain  was  filled  with 
water.  As  addition 
al  evidence  that  the 
works  at  Ports 
mouth  were  devot 
ed  to  the  water  cult 
and  were  similar  to 
those  at  Avebury, 
in  Great  Britain,  we 
would  again  refer  to 
the  character  of  the 
works  at  either  end 
of  the  avenues. 
Without  insisting 

Fig.  S  —Effigy  on  the  Scioto.  ,, 

upon    the    serpent 

symbol  being  embodied  in  the  avenues,  we  think  it  can  be 
proven  that  the  most  striking  features  of  the  work  at  Avebury 
are  duplicated  here;  the  sun  symbol  being  embodied  in  the  con 
centric  circles  upon  the  Kentucky  side;  the  phallic  symbol  in 
the  horse-shoe  mounds  upon  the  Ohio  side  (see  Figs.  I,  2,  3)  and 
the  avenues  of  standing  stones  corresponded  to  the  covered  ways 
which  connected  the  enclosures  on  the  Kentucky  side  with  that 
on  the  Ohio  side. 

The  group  on  the  third  terrace  is  the  one  which  is  the  most  sig 
nificant.  Here  the  circle  surrounds  the  horseshoe,  as  the  circle 
of  stones  does  at  Avebury.  Here,  too,  is  a  natural  elevation  that 
has  been  improved  by  art,  and  made  to  serve  a  religious  pur 
pose.  Mr.  T.  W.  Kinney  says  this  mound,  which  was  a  natural 
elevation,  was  selected  as  the  site  for  a  children's  house.  In  ex 
cavating  the  cellar  there  was  discovered  a  circular  altar  composed 
of  stones  which  were  standing  close  together,  and  showed  evi- 


251 


denceofheat.  This  altar  was  four  feet  below  the  surface.  Lead 
ing  from  the  altar  was  a  channel  about  eighteen  inches  wide, 
composed  of  clay,  which  was  supposed  to  be  designed  to  "  carry 
off  the  blood",  givingthe  idea  that  human  sacrifices  were  offered 
here,  as  they  were  upon  the  altars  at  Avebury.  Squier  and 
Davis  say  that  the  horse-shoes  constitute  the  most  striking  feat 
ures;  they  are  both  about  the  same  size  and  shape.  They  meas 
ure  about  eighty  feet  in  length  and  seventy  feet  in  breadth. 
Enclosing  these  in  part  is  a  wall  about  five  feet  high.  These 
horse-shoes  might  well  be  called  coves.  The  ground  within  them 
was  formerly  perfectly  level.  They  open  out  toward  the  river 
and  were  on  the  edge  of  the  terrace,  and  so  were  elevated  above 
the  surro  un  di  ng 
country  and  were 
in  plain  sight.  Near 
them  was  a  natural 
elevation  eighteen 
feet  high,  but  grad 
ually  subsiding  into 
a  ridge  towards  the 
enclosed  mound.  A 
full  view  of  the  en 
tire  group  may  be 
had  from  its  sum 
mit.  The  enclosed 
mound  was  twenty- 
eight  feet  high  by 
one  hundred  and 
ten  feet  base.  It  is 
truncated  and  surrounded  by  a  low  circumvallation.  As  addi 
tional  evidence  to  this,  we  may  mention  here  the  great  wor  s 
situated  about  a  mile  west.  See  Fig.  4.  Here  is  a  group  of  ex 
quisite  symmetry  and  beautiful  proportions.  It  consists  of  an 
embankment  of  earth,  five  feet  high,  thirty  feet  base,  with  an  in 
terior  ditch  twenty-five  feet  across  and  six  feet  deep.  Enclosed 
is  an  area  ninety  feet  in  diameter;  in  the  center  of  this  is  a 
mound  forty  feet  in  diameter  and  eight  feet  high.  There  is  a 
narrow  gateway  through  the  parapet,  and  a  causeway  over  the 
ditch  leading  to  the  enclosed  mound.  This  is  a  repetition  of  the 
central  mound  with  its  four  concentric  circles.  It  is  said  that 
there  was  near  this  a  square  enclosure  resembling  the  chunky 
yards  ot  the  South,  and  that  the  group  taken  together  was  of  a 
Southern  type.  There  are  several  small  circles,  measuring  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  diameter; 
also  a  few  mounds  in  the  positions  indicated  in  the  plan.* 

Most  noticeable  is  a  mound  within  four  concentric  circles,  placed 

*Mounds  like  this  are  common  in  this  district  and  may  be  regarded  as  sun  sym 
bols.  See  the  cut  of  works  at  Portsmouth;  also  of  terraced  mound  in  Greehup 
County,  Kentucky,  and  at  Winchester,  Indiana. 


Fig.  8.— Sun  Circles. 


at  irregular  intervals  in  respect  to  each  other.  These  were  cut 
at  right  angles  by  four  broad  avenues  which  conform  nearly  to 
the  cardinal  points.  From  the  level  summit  of  this  mound  a 
complete  view  of  every  part  of  this  work  is  commanded.  On 
the  supposition  that  it  was  in  some  way  connected  with  religious 
rites,  the  mound  afforded  the  most  conspicuous  place  for  their 
observance.  See  Fig.  3. 

"  The  mound  in  the  center,  at  first  glance,  might  be  taken  for 
a  natural  elevation.  It  is  possible  that  it  is  a  detached  spur  of 
the  hill  enlarged  and  modified  by  art.  It  is  easy  while  standing 
on  the  summit  of  this  mound  to  people  it  with  the  strange 


ffl^ 


Mg.  It—  'lerraced  Mound  opposite  l'orixinoul/t. 

priesthood  of  ancient  superstition  and  fill  its  walls  with  the 
thronging  devotees  of  mysterious  worship.  The  works  were  de 
voted  to  religious  purposes  and  were  symbolic  in  their  design."* 
Atwater  speaks  of  this  group  as  having  wells  in  close  proximity 
to  the  horse-shoes.  He  speaks  of  the  earth  between  the  parallel 
walls  as  having  been  leveled  by  art  and  appear  to  have  been 
used  as  a  road-way  by  those  who  came  down  the  river  for  the 
purpose  of  ascending  the  high  place.  We  have  dwelt  upon  these 
peculiarities  of  the  works  at  Portsmouth  for  the  very  reason  that 
they  seem  to  prove  the  existence  of  a  water  cult,  and  because  it 
so  closely  resembles  those  in  which  the  water  cult  has  been  rec 
ognized  in  Great  Britain.  We  maintain,  however,  that  it  was  a 
cult  which  was  associated  with  sun  worship,  and  that  the  phallic 
symbol  was  embodied  here.  We  maintain  that  sacrifices  were 
offered  to  the  sun,  and  that  the  human  victims  were  kept  in  the 
corral  on  one  side  of  the  river;  that  they  were  transported  across 
the  water  and  carried  up  to  the  third  terrace,  and  immolated 

•Ancient  Monument*,  page  82. 


253 


near  the  horseshoe,  and  that  afterwards  the  processions  passed 
down  the  terrace,  through  the  avenue,  across  the  river,  a  second 
time,  and  mounted  the  spiral  pathway  to  the  summit  of  the  ter 
raced  mound  situated  at  the  end  of  the  avenue. 

In  reference  to  this  corral,  so  called  (see  Fig.  5),  we  may  say 
that  the  walls  surrounding  the  area  are  very  heavy,  and  are 
raised  above  the  area  enclosed,  in  places  as  much  as  fifty  feet. 
They  convey  the 
idea  that  the  en 
closure  was  for 
holding  captives, 
for  they  resemble 
the  walls  of  a  state's 
prison  rather  than 
those  of  a  fort ;  be 
ing  level  on  the  top 
and  made  as  if  de 
signed  for  a  walk 
for  sentinels.  The 
parallel  walls  or 
covered  ways  on 
each  side  of  this 
enclosure  have  an 
explanation  from 
this  theory.  They 
were  built  to  the 
end  of  the  terrace 
and  were  probably 
intended  to  protect 
the  sentinels  who 
were  stationed  at 
the  ends.  They 
command  exten 
sive  views,  both  up 
and  down  the  river, 
and  were  conve 
nient  places  from 
which  to  watch  the 
enemy,  as  they 
might  approach  to  release  the  captives.  The  groups  upon  the 
Kentucky  side  and  the  effigies  on  the  Scioto  are  connected  with 
these  horse-shoes  and  with  one  another  by  the  avenues.  The 
group  to  the  east  is  the  most  interesting  on  account  of  its  sym 
bolism,  and  the  most  interesting  part  of  it  is  the  mound  with  the 
spiral  pathway. 

2.  The  works  at  Newark  are  next  to  be  considered.  These 
works  are  described  in  the  chapter  on  "  sacred"  or  village  en 
closures,  but  we  take  them  up  here  in  connection  with  the  water 


Fig.  5.— Corral. 


254 

cult.  The  most  remarkable  feature  of  this  entire  group  of  works 
is  that  presented  by  the  various  lines  of  parallel  walls,  which  ex 
tend  from  one  enclosure  to  another,  and  from  the  enclosures  to 
the  water's  edge.  There  were  five  sets  of  parallels :  One  has 
been  traced  from  the  octagon  westward  for  about  two  miles; 
another  extends  from  the  octagon  toward  the  large  square  for 
about  a  mile  in  length ;  a  third  extends  from  the  octagon  to  the 
bottom-land,  and  probably  once  reached  the  water's  edge;  a  fourth 
extended  from  the  circle  called  the  old  fort  to  the  square;  a 
fifth  extended  from  an  irregular  circle,  on  the  edge  of  the  ter 
race,  to  the  bottom-land,  and,  perhaps,  to  the  water's  edge. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  these  parallels  is  that  the  roadway, 
in  many  places,  was  elevated  above  the  wall.  In  the  northern 
avenue  this  elevated  grade  extends  fora  quarter  of  a  mik,  and  is 
broad  enough  for  fifty  persons  to  walk  abreast.  A  similar  grade 
is  found  in  the  avenue  that  leads  from  the  large  square  to  the 
irregular  circle.  The  same  is  true  of  the  parallel  leading  from  the 
large  circle,  down  the  terrace,  to  the  South  Fork.  The  bank  of 
the  third  terrace,  here  20  feet  high,  is  cut  down  and  graded  to  an 
easy  ascent.  The  roadway  is  elevated  above  the  walls,  and  ex 
tends  out  upon  the  alluvial  bottoms  beyond  the  wall.  A  similar 
grade  is  constructed  at  the  extremity  of  the  northern  wall. 
There  was  a  road  excavated  into  the  terrace  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  but  the  earth  was  used  to  form  an  elevated  way 
over  the  low,  swampy  gronnd  at  the  foot  of  the  terrace.  These 
excavations  constitute  quite  an  imposing  feature  when  seen  on 
the  spot.  The  inquiry  is,  what  was  the  object  in  erecting  these 
parallel  walls,  and  making  such  elevated  roadways,  with  grades 
at  the  ends  of  the  roads  leading  to  the  bottom-lands?  The  water 
is  now  not  there  and  the  grade  seems  to  be  useless.  One  sup 
position  is,  that  at  the  time  the  works  were  erected,  the  water 
flowed  over  the  first  terrace  and  washed  up  to  the  foot  of  the 
second  terrace;  and  that  these  grades  were  used  for  canoe  land 
ings.*  Why  are  the  roadways  elevated  and  made  so  broad? 
Were  they  designed  for  the  passage  of  armies,  with  troops 
marching  abreast?  Were  they  designed  for  religious  proces 
sions,  which  were  led  from  the  water  to  the  sacred  enclosures? 
Let  us  examine  the  works  more  particularly.  Squier  and  Davis 
say  that  a  number  of  small  circles  were  found  within  the  paral- 

*Mr.  Isaac  Smucker  says  the  terrace  was  fifty  feet  above  the  bottom  land;  very  few 
mounds  and  no  walls  on  the  bottom  lands.  He  thinks  one  set  of  parallels  may  have 
led  across  Licking  Creek  to  Lancaster.  He  says  that  formerly  there  was  a  tort  on  a 
htll  to  the  west,  of  these  works;  a  tort  which  contained  fifty  acres,  whose  walls 
were  conformed  to  the  outline  of  the  hill.  This  may  have  been  another  of  the  hill 
forts,  which  were  used  by  the  sun  worshipers  as  a  refuge  when  their  villages  were 
attacked.  He  also  says  that  the  works  extended  from  the  Raccoon  to  the  Licking 
and  covered  the  plain.  The  octagon  was  on  the  bank  of  one  stream,  the  irregular 
circle  and  graded  way  near  the  forks,  and  the  parallel  led  toward  the  other  stream. 
The  alligator  effigy  and  the  fort  referred  to  were  several  miles  west.  He  speaks  of  a 
reservoir  or  artificial  lake,  twenty  rods  in  diameter,  and  a  sugar-loaf  mound,  about 
fifteen  leet  high,  situated  on  one  of  the  bluffs,  also  of  a  crescent  earth-work  and  large 
enclosure  between  the  alligator  mound  and  the  old  fort.  See  American  Antiquarian. 
Vol.  VII,  Page  349. 


255 

lels, — they  probably  mark  the  site  of  ancient  circular  dwellings. 
Circles  having  diameters  of  one  hundred  feet,  with  ditches  inter 
ior  to  the  walls,  and  elevated  embankments  interior  to  the  ditch, 
are  also  seen  at  various  points  at  the  ends  and  along  the  sides  of 
the  covered  way.  These  circles,  with  their  enclosed  crescents, 
betray  a  coincidence  with  those  connected  with  the  squares  and 
covered  ways  at  Hopeton,  at  Highland  and  elsewhere.  May 
they  not  have  been  circles  in  which  religious  houses  were  placed? 
There  is  one  circumstance  which  favors  this  supposition.  Mr. 
Isaac  Smucker  says  there  was  a  group  of  burial  mounds  near 
the  old  fort,  around  which  was  a  paved  circle  eight  feet  wide, — 
the  mounds  being  closely  connected  at  the  base.  Each  one  of 
the  mounds  was  made  up  of  a  series  of  layers  of  earth  alternating 
with  layers  of  sand,  followed  by  layers  of  cobble  stone, — the  cob 
ble  stones  being  first  placed  over  a  strong  burning.  In  the 
mounds  six  or  eight  post  holes  were  discovered  filled  with  sand; 
the  center  post  extending  down  several  feet.  The  conclusion 
was,  that  the  conical  buildings  and  rotundas  had  been  built  upon 
these  mounds;  and  that  fires  and  burials  or  burnings  had  taken 
place  in  the  rotundas.  Different  hearths  or  fire  beds  had  been 
built  inside,  making  different  occasions  of  sacrifice.  Mr.  I. 
Dille  says:  "To  the  east  of  the  line  of  embankments  on  the 
second  bottom  of  the  creek,  are  numerous  mounds.  In  1828, 
when  constructing  the  canal,  a  lock  was  built  here.  Fourteen 
human  skeletons  were  found  four  feet  beneath  the  surface,  some 
of  which  seemed  to  have  been  burned.  Over  these  skeletons, 
carefully  placed,  was  a  large  quantity  of  mica  in  sheets  and  in 
plates;  some  of  them  were  eight  and  ten  inches  long,  and  four 
and  five  inches  wide.  It  is  said  that  from  fourteen  to  twenty 
bushels  of  this  material  were  thrown  out." 

We  are  to  notice,  in  this  connection,  the  various  religious 
works  at  Newark.  I.  The  effigies  ;  there  was  a  bird  effigy  inside 
the  old  fort,  with  its  altar ;  an  alligator  effigy,  with  its  altar,  at 
Granville.  2.  The  circles;  there  are  circles  inside  the  avenues, 
various  circles  on  the  terrace  inside  the  large  enclosures ;  many 
of  these  circles  have  crescents,  showing  that  the  moon  cult  pre 
vailed.  3:  The  ponds  and  water-courses  ;  the  pond  near  the  old 
fort  has  a  peculfar  shape.  4,  The  corrals;  the  old  fort  was  a  good 
specimen;  it  resembled  that  at  Portsmouth,  on  the  Kentucky 
side;  this  had  the  ditch  on  the  inside  and  had  a  high  wall,  which 
gave  the  impression  that  it  was  designed  to  hold  captives  within 
the  area  rather  than  to  defend  the  area  from  an  attack  from  with 
out.  5.  The  parallel  walls  located  near  the  fort;  these  were 
undoubtedly  for  the  trial  of  captives,  where  they  ran  the  gaunt 
let.  6.  The  network  of  walls  and  gateways ;  this  can  be 
explained  only  on  the  supposition  that  elaborate  ceremonies  were 
observed  here ;  the  walls  can  not  be  regarded  as  game-drives; 
they  may  have  been  designed  for  protection  of  the  villages,  but, 


256 


if  so,  they  were  villages  of  a  class  of  sun-worshipers.  But  it  is 
probable  that  here  all  forms  of  worship — animal  worship,  fire 
worship,  moon  worship,  water  cult — were  mingled  together  and 
brought  under  the  control  of  the  solar  cult. 

3.  The  same  lesson  is  impressed  upon  us  as  we  go  away  from  this 
series  of  works  and  enter  the  circles  and  sacred  enclosures  on 
the   Scioto   River,  on  Paint   Creek,  the   Muskingum   River,  the 
Miami  River  and  the  White  River.     In  nearly  all  of  these  places 
we  find  the  enclosures  having  the  form  of  the  square  and  the 
circle,  and  having  about  the  same  area  as  those  of  Newark.     We 
find  also  that  there  are  small  circles  with  ditches  and  small  cres 
cent  embankments  inside  of  the  circles ;  also  gateways  opening 
toward  the  enclosures,  giving  the  idea  that  they  were  places  of 
sacred  assembly  and  at  the  same  time  symbolic  in  character.    We 
notice,  too,  that  in  many  ot  the  groups  there  are  covered  ways 
resembling  those  at  Newark,  and  that  the  graded  ways  generally 

,  %  lead  from  the  sacred  en 

closures  to  the  water's 
edge,  giving  the  idea  that 
they  were  used  for  pro 
cessions,  the  water  cult 
being  common  in  all  of 
the  localities.  At  Mari 
etta  the  graded  way  leads 
from  the  second  terrace 
up  to  the  third  terrace, 
and  connects  the  enclos 
ure  and  the  three  temple 
platforms  with  the  river, 
thus  giving  the  impression  that  they  were  used  for  religious 
purposes  rather  than  for  warlike,  that  processions  leading  captives 
passed  from  the  water's  edge  up  to  the  temples  and  to  the  high 
conical  mound.* 

Mr.  Harris  says  there  was  at  Marietta  a  well  sixty  feet  deep 
and  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  of  the  kind  used  in  early  days,  when 
water  was  brought  up  in  pitchers  by  steps.  This  well  may  have 
been  for  the  convenience  of  the  people  living  in  the  enclosures, 
but  its  proximity  to  the  temple  platforms  and  the  conical  mound 
and  the  graded  way  makes  it  significant. 

4.  The  works  at  Paint  Creek.     There  were  wells  or  reservoirs 
inside  both  the  enclosures  at  this  point.     Atwater  says  in  one 
there  was  a  large  pond  or  reservoir  fifteen  feet  deep  and  thirty-nine 


.—  Works  at  Paint  Creek. 


*Squier  and  Davis  say  there  was  a  sloping  terrace  700  feet  wide  between  the  end 
of  the  covered  way  and  the  bank  of  the  river;  that  there  were  no  works  on  this  ter 
race,  which  was  about  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  river.  They  seem  to  doubt  that  the 
river  flowed  over  the  terrace  at  the  time  that  the  graded  way  was  built.  It  Is  possi 
ble  that  the  village  was  upon  this  terrace,  and  that  the  Inclosure  upon  the  upper 
terrace  was  the  sacred  place,  where  the  chiefs  dwelt,  and  that  the  graded  way  with 
the  protecting  walls  were  designed  for  processions  from  the  village  to  the  temples, 
though  the  other  supposition  Is  a  plausible  one. 


257 

feet  in  diameter.  It  was  supplied  by  a  rivulet  which  runs  through 
the  wall,  but  at  present  sinks  into  the  earth.  These  wells  mav 
have  been  merely  for  the  convenience  of  the  villagers,  but  there 
are  so  many  places  where  hot  houses  or  assembly  houses  were 
placed  near  ponds  of  water  or  streams  or  springs,  we  conclude 
that  water  served  an  important  part  in  the  religious  ceremonies. 
These  enclosures  on  Paint  Creek  contain  mounds  or  sacrificial 
places,  which  seem  to  be  connected  with  the  ponds.  Atwater 
speaks  of  one  covered  with  stones  and  pebbles.  He  says  this 
mound  was  full  of  human  bones.  Some  have  expressed  the  be 
lief  that  on  it  human  beings  were  once  sacrificed.  Near  this 
was  an  elliptical  mound,  built  in  two  stages,  one  eight  feet  high, 
the  other  fifteen  feet.  On  the  other  side  of  the  large  mound  was 
a  work  in  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  set  round  the  edges  with 
stones,  and  near  this  a  singular 
mound,  five  feet  high  and  thirty 
feet  in  diameter,  and  composed 
entirely  of  red  ochre,  an  abund 
ance  of  which  is  found  on  a  hill 
near  by.  The  small  circular 
enclosure  opens  into  a  large  area 
and  connects  with  it  by  a  gate 
way.  Inside  the  circle  is  a  lesser 
circle,  six  rods  in  diameter. 
It  seems  probable  that  this  cir 
cle  marks  the  site  of  the  rotunda 
and  that  the  whole  enclosure  was 


thwork  on  Motion  16,  township 
9,  north  range  8,  near  Anderson,  lad- 
(  inch— 160  feoU 


used  for  sacred  purposes,  the***7" 
larger  enclosure  being  the  place  where  the  imposing  religious 
ceremonies  were  observed.  Atwater  speaks  especially  of  the 
wells,  one  of  them  being  inside  of  the  enclosure,  near  the  mound, 
and  others  outside  the  walls.  It  would  seem  from  the  proximity 
of  the  wells  to  the  mounds  that  there  were  here  the  water  cult,  the 
fire  cult,  the  moon  cult  combined,  and  the  complicated  system 
of  religion  in  which  the  priests  had  great  power.*  See  Fig.  6. 

Another  locality  where  the  water  cult  is  apparent  is  on  the 
White  River,  in  Indiana.  Here,  in  one  place,  is  a  square  enclos 
ure  with  a  diameter  of  1320  and  1080  feet,  which  has  a  mound 
in  the  center  nine  feet  high  and  one  hundred  feet  in  diameter. 
This  is  on  the  fair  grounds  at  Winchester.  Near  Anderson,  on 
the  banks  of  the  White  River,  there  is  a  group  of  small  enclos 
ures.  One  of  these  has  a  constricted  elliptical  embankment  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  diameter.  Another  has  a  length  of  two 
hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  and  a  width  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet, — the  wall  being  thirty-five  feet  at  base  and  four  feet  high; 
ditch,  eight  feet  wide,  with  a  gateway  which  is  protected  by  two 


*Ancient  Works  on  Paint 


258 


small  mounds.  On  the  same  section  is  a  group  containing  four 
circles,  two  ellipses,  and  a  terraced  mound.  The  embankment 
of  one  at  the  base  is  fifty  feet  wide  and  nine  feet  high ;  the  ditch 
is  five  feet  wide,  ten  and  one  half  feet  deep.  The  central  area  is 
130  feet  in  diameter,  and  contains  a  mound  four  feet  high  and 

30  feet  in  diameter.  The  gate 
way  is  30  feet  wide.  Carriages 
may  drive  in  through  the  gate 
way  and  around  the  mound 
on  the  terrace,  and  have  room 
to  spare.  The  group  is  an  in 
teresting  one,  and  was  evident 
ly  designed  to  be  symbolic. 
Other  earth-works  similar  to 
this  are  found  near  Cambridge, 
in  Wayne  County.  Here  there 
are  two  circles,  with  embank 
ments  four  feet  high,  and  wide 
enough  on  the  top  to  allow 

Fig.  S.-Sun  Circle  on  White  River.  two     carrjageS     to     paSS     each 

other.  The  ditch  is  on  the  inside  of  the  embankment,  and 
within  the  ditch  is  a  circular,  level  area,  with  a  causeway 
leading  across  the  ditch  through  the  gateway.  These  are  situ 
ated  on  the  bank  of  the  Whitewater  River.  A  passage-way 
leads  from  the  bluff  to  the  water's  edge,  equally  distant  from 
both  circles. 

These  circles  seem  to  be  all  religious  symbol?,  the  enclosure 
with  the  circular  mound  and 
ditch,  and  passageway  across  the 
ditch,  being  symbolic  of  the  sun, 
the  constricted  ellipses  being  a 
symbol  which  resembles  the 
banner  stones.  The  graded  ways 
from  these  small  enclosures  to 
the  water's  edge  show  that  with 
the  solar  cult  the  water  cult  was 
here  associated. 

There  are    several    structures 
devoted  to  the  water  cult  on  the 

Kanawha  River,  in  West  Virgin-  Fig.  9— Circle  and  Ellipse  near  Anderson, 

ia,  and  on  the  Wateree  River,  in  Indiana. 

North  Carolina.  These  resemble  the  earth-works  in  Southern 
Ohio.  Their  peculiarities  are  that  they  are  circular  enclosures, 
have  uniform  measurement  of  660  feet  in  circumference,  have  a 
ditch  on  the  inside  and  a  mound  on  the  inside  of  the  ditch. 
Several  of  the  circles  have  a  truncated  mound  situated  outside 
of  the  gateway  and  guarding  the  entrance,  conveying  the  idea 
that  there  may  have  been  a  rotunda  on  the  summit,  and  an 


Ancicnl  earthworks  on  northeast  comer 
Motion  16.  township  9,  range  8,  near  Ander- 
ton,  Madison  county,  lod. 

I  inch-loO  feet 


259 

assembly  place  or  council  house  inside  the  circle.  There  is  near 
one  of  these  circles  a  graded  way  which  leads  from  the  enclosure 
through  the  terrace  down  to  the  bottom  land  of  the  Kanawha 
River,  a  feature  which  is  noticeable  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  and  was 
there  ascribed  to  the  water  cult.  One  of  these  mounds  was  ex 
plored  and  found  to  contain  an  altar  exactly  like  the  altars  in 
Ohio  It  was  covered  with  charred  human  bones.  There  were 
in  the  same  mound,  at  different  depths,  skeletons ;  one  recum 
bent,  two  in  sitting  posture.  The  altar  was  at  the  bottom,  this 
showing  that  the  ancient  race  was  the  same  as  the  sun  worship- 


Fig.  10.— Sun  Circles  and  Graded  Way  on  the  Kanawha,  River. 

ers  of  Ohio.  But  it  was  followed  by  others,  who  built  mounds, 
but  did  not  build  altars. 

5.  The  same  lesson  is  conveyed  by  the  graded  ways,  which  have 
been  discovered  in  the  Southern  States,  and  which,  according  to 
Squier  and  Davis,  are  quite  numerous.  Descriptions  have  been 
given  of  these  by  Mr.  Bartram,  and  his  explanation  of  them  was 
that  they  had  been  used  for  avenues  which  connected  the  estufas 
with  the  artificial  ponds  used  for  bathing.  They  are  called  savan 
nahs,  as  they  are  now  meadows,  but  they  were  once  undoubtedly 
filled  with  water  and  are  artificial.  The  mounds  were  probably 
foundations  for  rotundas. 

Mr.  H.  S.  Halbert  has  described  another  mound  situated  in 
Winston  County,  Mississippi.  Here  was  a  mound  about  forty 
feet  high  with  a  semicircular  rampart  surrounding  it.  A  road 
way  led  from  this  mound  towards  the  creek,  but  ended  in  the 


260 


Flan  and  Section  of  Altar 

ftf  •'<' 


Fig.  11.— Altar. 


intervening  swamp.  The  Messier  mound  in  Georgia  is  another 
specimen  also.  This  is  a  pyramid,  which  was  once  surrounded 
by  a  rampart  or  wall.  There  is  near  it  a  large,  artificial  pond, 
covering  an  area  of  about  two  acres,  and  an  immense  circular 
well  forty-eight  feet  deep.  The  mound  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
Southern  States, — 320  feet  long,  180  feet  wide,  57  feet  high,  sit 
uated  upon  the  summit  of  a  hill.  It  was  not  erected  for  defen 
sive  purposes,  but  as  a  temple.  In 
f\  the  religious  festivals  observed  here, 
j  ablutions  served  an  important  part, 
and  water  was  an  essential  element. 
II.  We  now  come  to  the  system 
j  of  sun  worship.  This  was  a  very 
extensive  system,  and  one  which 
seemed  to  rule  over  all  others.  In 
VI  fact,  we  may  say  that  all  the  other 
— ••  systems  are  adjuncts  or  tributaries 
to  this.  Sun  worship  was  widely 
distributed,  and  prevailed  among  nearly  all  the  districts  in  the 
Mound-builders'  territory,  though  it  is  the  most  prominent  in 
the  middle  and  southern  districts.  It  found  its  highest,  or,  at 
least,  most  complicated,  development  in  Southern  Ohio.  Here 
a  very  ancient  people  were  devoted  to  sun  worship,  whose  history 
is  unknown,  but  whose  works  and  relics  were  left  in  great  num 
bers.  We  enter  this  district,  and  shall  study  the  earth-works  and 
relics  here,  with  the  idea  that  we  shall  ascertain  something  about 
the  system  There  is  no  part  of  the  country  where  the  tokens 
are  more  suggestive  and  interesting.  In  fact,  nearly  everything 
here  is  suggestive  of  this  system.  A  most  complicated  series  of 
earth-works,  some  of  them  designed  for  villages,  some  of  them 
for  forts,  some  for  dance  circles,  some  for 
burial  places,  some  for  council  houses, 
but  they  were  all  symbolic.  Here  were  : 
also  many  solid  mounds,  some  of  which 
contain  altars ;  others  were  sacrificial 
places;  others  were  lookout  stations; 
others  were  temple  platforms;  others 
were  places  ot  religious  assembly;  but 
in  all  of  these  we  find  symbols  of  the 
sun.  It  would  seem  as  if  the  sun  wor-  ' 
shipers  had  been  so  impressed  with  their  Fig.  is.— Altar. 

system  that  they  had  used  the  works  of  nature  as  contribu 
tors  to  worship — the  hilltops,  the  valleys,  the  streams,  the  very 
springs  having  been  used  by  them  in  carrying  out  the  different 
parts  of  their  varied  cult.  The  clan  life  prevailed  here,  and  clan 
villages  were  numerous;  clan  emblems  were  not  uncommon,  but 
sun  worship  was  the  uniform  element  with  all  the  clans.  This 
uniformity  extended  not  merely  to  the  river  system,  bringing 


fl*n  of JDtVr 


261 


together  the  clans  scattered  along  each  river,  but  it  extended 
also  from  river  to  river,  and  brought  together  the  people  of  the 
entire  district  into  one  grand  confederacy.  This  confederacy 
extended  from  the  White  River,  in  Indiana,  to  the  Muskingum, 
in  Ohio,  and  may  have  embraced  all  the  country  between  the 
Wabash  and  the  Alleghany  Rivers.  There  are  also  some  evi 
dences  that  it  extended  from  Kentucky  into  West  Virginia,  and 
that  the  works  upon  the  Kenawha  River  and  the  Licking  River 
belonged  to  the  same  system. 

The  altar  mounds  described  in  the  cuts  (Figs.  1 1  to  14)  con 
tain  no  relics.  The  first 
one  contained  fragments 
of  pottery;  the  second  a 
mass  of  lime  and  frag 
ments  of  calcined  shells. 

May  it  not  be 

that   pottery 
vessels    were 
-—  r    _     offered  in  one 

Fig.  IS.-Altar  Mount*  and    inscribed 

shell  gorgets  in  the  other,  the  fire  having  reduced  these  to  ashes. 
The  other  mounds  in  this  enclosure  contained  altars  on  which 
offerings  of  costly  and  highly  wrought  relics  had  been  placed — 
two  hundred  pipes  on  one,  large  quantities  of  galena,  thirty 
pounds  in  all,  on  another,  obsidian  arrows  and  pearl  beads  on 
another,  copper  gravers  and  or 
naments  made  of  copper  and  cov 
ered  with  silver  on  another.  The 
mica  crescent  depicted  in  Fig.  15 
was  at  the  bottom  of  the  largest 
mound,  one  which  overlooked  the 
whole  group.  The  crescent  was  shelving,  its  outer  edge  being 
raised  a  few  inches  above  the  inner  edge,  but  there  was  no  altar 
in  the  mound  and  no  other  relics.  The  location  of  the  group 
of  mounds  is  to  be  noticed  here.  "Mound  City"  is  opposite  the 

*The  description  of  the  mounds  containing  the  altars  is  given  in  another  chap 
ter.  The  altars  represented  in  cuts  11  and  12  were  found  in  mounds  Nos.  2  and  4.  No. 
3  contained  a  double  altar.  This  altar  showed  marks  of  intense  heat.  The  relics 
which  had  been  offered  were  varied;  arrow-points  of  obsidian,  of  limpid  quartz,  of 
copper  gravers  or  chisels,  copper  tubes  and  carved  pipes.  In  mound  No.  8  was  an 
altar  somewhat  resembling  thai,  in  Mound  No.  2.  The  deposit  on  this  altar  was  very 
extensive;  200  pipes  carved  in  stone,  pearl  and  shell  beads,  discs  and  tubes  made  of 
copper,  copper  ornaments  covered  with  silver.  Masses  of  copper  were  found  fused 
together  in  the  center  of  the  basin.  The  pipes  were  in  fragments.  They  represented 
animals,  such  as  the  otter,  heron,  fish,  hawk  with  bird  in  its  talons,  panther,  bear, 
wolf,  beaver,  squirrel,  raccoon,  crow,  swallow,  buzzard,  paroquet,  toucan,  turtle,  frog, 
toad,  rattlesnake,  and  a  number  of  sculptured  human  heads.  Mound  No.  7  was  the 
one  which  contained  the  crescent,  Fig.  13.  It  was  the  largest  and  highest  of  the 
group,  and  commanded  a  view  of  the  entire  group.  It  contained  no  altar,  merely  a 
clay  floor,  but  the  crescent  was  shelving  or  dish-shaped;  the  outer  edge  rested  on  an 
elevation  of  sand,  six  inches  in  height.  The  mica  crescent  was  the  chief  feature  of 
the  mound,  though  the  earth  of  the  mound  was  incredibly  compact.  Mound  No.  9 
contained  an  altar  and  a  layer  of  charcoal.  In  the  altar  were  instruments  of  obsid 
ian,  scrolls  of  mica,  traces  of  cloth,  ivory  and  bone  needles,  pearl  beads.  The  articles 
contained  in  the  altars  show  an  extensive  aboriginal  trade  as  well  as  an  advanced 
stage  of  art.  The  symbolism  contained  in  the  altars  prove  that  the  offerings  were 
made  to  the  sun  and  moon.  See  chapter  on  Altars  and  Ash-pits;  see  also  figure  of 
Mound  City. 


Fig.  U.— Altar  in  Relief. 


262 

enclosure  at  Hopeton  and  nearly  opposite  the  square  enclosure 
at  Cedar  Bank.  The  covered  way  at  Hopeton  leads  toward 
Mound  City.  May  it  not  be  that  this  was  the  way  through  which 
processions  passed  on  the  occasions  when  the  annual  burial  feast 
or  "great  burning"  took  place  ?  The  passage  across  the  river  by 
a  ferry  to  the  place  of  burning  would  resemble  the  Egyptian 
custom,  and  would  fulfil  the  picture  which  Virgil  has  drawn  of 
Charon  crossing  the  river  Styx  with  the  souls  of  the  dead.* 

Let  us  take  up  the  works  in  detail,  and  see  the  symbolism 
contained  in  them.  We  notice  that  there  are  truncated  pyramids 
or  platforms  in  this  district,  generally  inside  of  square  enclosures, 
that  they  were  orientated  and  had  inclined  passage-ways  to  their 
summits.  We  notice  also  that  there  were  elliptical  and  conica1 
mounds  inside  of  the  circular  enclosures,  many  of  them  sur 
rounded  by  pavements  in  the 
form  of  ellipses  and  crescents.  We 
also  notice  that  these  large  en 
closures  are  always  connected  by 
parallel  walls  or  covered  ways 
with  the  clusters  of  small  circles 
and  crescents;  that  the  altar 

is.— Orescent  Pavement.  mounds  are  generally  surrounded 

by  circular  walls;  that  even  lookout  mounds  are  inside  of  circles. 
We  notice  further  that  there  are  terraced  mounds  with  spiral 
pathways  on  their  sides,  and  many  of  these  have  ditches  and 
circles  surrounding  them,  some  of  them  have  several  concentric 
circles.  We  notice  also  that  some  of  the  enclosures  are  in  the 
shape  of  constricted  ellipses,  others  have  triangular  gateways, 
others  combine  the  square  and  circle  in  one.  We  notice  also 
that  the  altars  aie  carefully  built  in  the  form  of  circles  and  squares. 
We  conclude  that  a  complicated  system  of  symbolism  prevailed, 
a  symbolism  devoted  to  sun  worship.  We  notice  further  that 
the  relics  are  symbolic,  that  while  many  of  the  pipes  were  carved 
in  the  shape  of  animals  and  serpents,  some  of  the  tablets  were 
inscribed  with  human  tree  figures.  The  mica  plates  and  copper 
ornaments  and  other  metallic  relics  were  in  the  shape  of  crescents, 
circles  and  scrolls.  Some  of  them  had  the  suastika  inscribed 
upon  them,  a  mingled  symbolism  being  apparent  in  the  relics. 
We  notice  still  further  the  resemblance  between  the  earth-works 
and  the  relics,  animal  figures  being  found  in  some  of  them,  as 
in  the  pipes,  but  crescents,  circles  and  scalloped  figures  in  the 
earth-works  as  well  as  in  the  tablets  and  metallic  relics.  While 
the  suastika  has  not  been  recognized  in  an  earth-work,  the  cross 
has  been.  The  serpent  and  the  bird  effigy  are  well  known,  but 
these  remind  us  of  the  figures  on  the  inscribed  shell  gorgets  so 


*H.  S.  Halbert  speaks  of  an  ancient  road  which  crosses  the  Tombigbee,  connect 
ing  the  cemetery  on  Line  Creek  in  Mississippi  and  Mound-builders' settlements  in 
Alabama.  The  habit  of  crossing  streams  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead  is  an  old  one, 
and  was  common  among  the  Egyptians  and  other  Eastern  nations. 


263 

common  in  the  South,  the  elliptical  enclosure  in  the  body  of  the 
serpent  resembling  the  same  figure  on  the  inscribed  shells. 

The  earth-works  of  Ohio  were  designed  to  protect  the  vil 
lages,  which  were  so  numerous  there,  but  they  were  villages 
which  were  pervaded  by  sun  worship.  The  people  dwelling 
within  them  were  surrounded  by  the  symbols  of  the  sun  and 
followed  all  the  processes  of  village  life  under  the  control  of  this 
luminary.  They  went  to  the  fields,  to  the  dance  grounds,  to  the 
places  of  assembly,  to  the  ponds  and  streams  and  springs  under 
its  protection,  and  even  placed  their  dead  in  graves  or  upon  altars 
which  were  symbolic  of  the  sun.  When  they  conducted  war, 
they  brought  back  their  captives,  kept  them  for  a  time  in  enclos 
ures  consecrated  to  the  sun,  and  afterwards  immolated  them  as 
victims  and  perhaps  presented  their  bodies  or  hearts  as  offerings 
to  the  sun,  making  the  remarkable  terraced  mounds  the  place 
where  this  chief  rite  was  celebrated.  The  platform  mounds  may 
have  been  foundations  for  temples;  they  were,  however,  temples 
which  were  depositories  for  the  bodies  of  their  eminent  men,  rather 
than  assembly  places,  and  were  approached  by  great  and  solemn 
processions,  the  graded  and  covered  ways  having  been  built  for 
the  express  purpose  of  accommodating  these  ceremonies.  There 
was  nothing  like  this  among  the  aborigines  of  the  North  or  of 
the  South,  though  we  imagine  that  if  we  substituted  stone  mon 
uments  for  the  earth-works  that  the  Druidic  system  which  pre 
vailed  in  Great  Britain  would  fit  the  frame  and  make  the  two 
pictures  very  similar.  There  was  no  living  race  in  America 
that  had  any  such  symbolism  or  customs.  The  nearest  approach 
to  it  would  be  the  confederacies  of  the  South,  that  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  pyramids,  and  who  occupied  them,  though  they 
may  not  have  built  them. 

The  similarity  between  the  symbolism  of  the  Ohio  Mound- 
builders  and  that  of  the  stone  grave  people  will  be  seen  from  an 
examination  of  the  cuts.  See  Plate  IV.  These  cuts  repre 
sent  the  shell  gorgets  found  in  these  graves,  as  well  as  in  the 
southern  and  southeastern  mounds.  In  the  gorgets  the  serpents 
are  coiled  and  the  concentric  circles  have  symbols  of  the  sun  and 
moon  and  stars  between  them,  as  the  squares  have  birds'  heads 
at  their  sides  and  loops  at  their  corners,  but  the  figures  are  the 
same  and  the  significance  similar  to  those  contained  in  the  cir 
cles,  squares  and  serpent  effigies  of  Ohio. 

Let  us  now  draw  the  comparison  between  these  works  and 
those  found  in  the  Southern  States.  The  Mound-builders  of  the 
South  were  evidently  sun  worshipers,  but  they  embodied  their 
system  in  an  entirely  different  series  of  works,  the  pyramids  being 
the  chief  structure  of  that  region.  There  are  contrasts  and  resem 
blances — contrasts  in  the  works,  resemblances  in  the  relics.  We 
have  opportunity  of  studying  this  contrast  in  this  locality.  The 
pyramid  builders  reached  as  far  north  as  the  Ohio  River  and 


264 


Vincennes  on  the  Wabash,  and  we  find  that  while  they  were  sun 
worshipers,  there  was  another  class  of  sun  worshipers  alongside 
of  them,  who  adopted  the  circle  as  their  symbol,  and  built  their 
structures  in  this  form.  Here  we  call  attention  to  the  large  group 
of  mounds  which  surrounds  the  city  of  Vincennes.  Dr.  Patton 
says  of  these:  "The  beautiful  valley  in  which  Vincennes  now 
stands  was  doubtless  the  site  of  a  great  city  occupied  by  the 
Mound-builders.  There  is  a  line  of  elevation  surrounding  this 

valley  on  the  north, 

south  and  east,  and 
from  the'great  num 
ber  of  mounds  in 
the  locality,  and  the 
large  size  of  some 
of  them,  and  the 
relics  found  we  may 
suppose  that  the 
region  was  densely 
populated  by  an  an 
cient  people  whose 
history  is  veiled  in 
obscurity."  He 
speaks  of  the  prob 
ability 'of  some  of 
the  large  mounds 
having  been  used 
for  sacrificial  or  cre 
mation  purposes. 
The  mounds  are 
called  mounds  of 
habitation,  lookout 
mounds,  temple 
mounds  and  terrace 
mounds.  The  pyr 
amid  mound,  one 
mile  to  the  south 
of  Vincennes,  is 
surrounded  by  a 
cluster  of  small 
mounds,  is  350x150  feet  at  the  base,  and  47  feet  high.  The 
sugar-loaf  mound,  just  east  of  the  city,  is  216x180  feet,  and  70 
feet  high.  The  mound  one  mrle  northeast  of  Vincennes  has  a 
diameter  of  366x282  feet,  and  rises  to  an  elevation  of  67  feet 
above  the  plain.  The  top  is  level,  with  an  area  of  10x50  feet. 
A  winding  roadway  from  the  east  furnished  the  votaries  an  easy 
access  to  the  summit. 

We  may  suppose  that  Vincennes  marks  the  eastern  extremity 
of  this  confederacy,  of  which  the  great  Cahokia  mound  was  the 


--_£ .  -*• 


*--•_•• 


J»*  M-  to-ult  SurMfff. 


Fig.  16.— Works  at  Alcxandersville. 


PLATE  III.-TEMPLE  PLATFOKM  AT  CEDAK  BANK. 


PLATE    IV. 


265 


center,  while  the  works  on  the  White  River  marked  the  western 
extremity  ot  the  Ohio  district,  the  two  classes  being  brought 
into  close  proximity.  We  may  notice  the  contrast  between  them. 
It  may  be  that  the  Mound-builders  of  the  Wabash  River  and  of 
the  Miami  River  migrated  south  at  the  incursion  of  the  savage 
Indians  and  became  the  pyramid-builders  of  the  Gulf  States,  one 
class  erecting  the  pyramids  on  the  Mississippi  and  the  other  those 
on  the  Atlantic  coast.  In  that  case,  we  shall  be  studying  the 
relics  of  the  same  people  when  we  take  up  the  shell  gorgets  and 
the  tablets  of  the  South. 

Passing  out  from  this  region  on  the  Wabash  River,  where  there 
are  so  many  pyramids,  we  come  to  the  region  where  the  circles 
are  so  numerous.  We  first  find  some  of  these  on  the  White 
River,  some  of  which  have  already  been  described.  They  be 
come  more  numerous  as  we  reach  the  Big  Miami,  the  works  at 
Alexandersville  and  at  Worthington  (see  Figs.  16  and  17)  being 
notable  specimens.  The  works  at  Worthington  are  very  inter 
esting.  There  is  here  a  square  enclosure  whose  diameters  are 
630x550  feet.  It  is  orientated.  At  one  corner  of  this  is  the 
small  circle,  120  feet  in  diameter,  whose  gateway  is  in  line  with 
that  of  the  square.  On  the  wall  is  the  truncated  cone,  20  feet  in 
height  and  190  feet  in  diameter.  Opposite  the  circle,  on  the 
bank  of  the  stream,  is  the  small  circle  with  three  openings.  This 
circle  has  a  ditch  inside,  and  seems  to  combine  the  circle,  the 
square  and  triangle 
in  one.  The  author 
discovered  at  one 
time  a  group  simi 
lar  to  this,  at  Fred- 
ericksburg,  twenty 
miles  north  of  New 
ark.  Here  were  the 
triangle,  the  square 
and  the  circle  all 
combined  in  one. 
Near  by  was  an 
other  enclosure, 
which  was  even 
more  striking  in  its 
shape.  It  was  sit- 


WOE3L1, 


Fig.  17.— Works  at  Worthington,  Ohio. 


uated  on  the  bank  of  a  beautiful  stream  and  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  fine  forest  of  maples.  The  wall  was  in  the  shape  of  an  ellipse 
with  scalloped  sides  and  ends,  the  curves  being  very  grace 
ful.  Within  the  walls  was  the  ditch,  which  had  varying  widths. 
The  platform  within  the  ditch  was  rectangular.  From  the  center 
of  the  platform  a  symmetrical  oval  mound  rose  to  the  height  of 
fifteen  feet.  This  was  leveled  at  the  top,  but  its  base  just  fitted 
the  platform,  the  ends  and  sides  extending  to  the  ditch.  No  one 


266 

who  had  seen  this  group  could  deny  the  taste  and  skill  of  the 
Mound-builders,  or  doubt  that  some  of  their  works  were  erected 
for  ornament  and  for  the  embodiment  of  a  religious  symbolism. 
We  come  next  to  the  works  on  the  Little  Miami.  These  have 
recently  been  explored  under  the  auspices  of  the  Peabody  Mu 
seum.  Prof.  Putnam  says :  "  In  this  region  are  some  of  the 
most  extensive  ancient  works  of  Ohio,  such  as  Fort  Ancient, 
with  its  walls  of  earth  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  high,  enclosing 
over  a  hundred  acres;  Fort  Hill,  with  its  surrounding  walls  of 
stone,  enclosing  about  forty  acres;  the  great  serpent  effigy,  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  in  length,  the  interesting  works  at  High 
Bank,  at  Cedar  Bank  and  at  Hopeton,  with  their  squares  and 
circles,  besides  hundreds  of  mounds  measuring  from  a  foot  or 
two  in  height  to  others  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  height.  Here  we  have 
found  elaborately  constructed  works  of  a  religious  character. 
Here,  too,  as  offerings  during  some  religious  ceremony,  we  have 
found  the  most  remarkable  objects  that  have  yet  been  taken 


Fig.  IS.— Spool  Ornaments  and  Cross  from  Stone  Graves.* 

from  ancient  works  in  the  United  States — small  carved  terra 
cotta  "figurines,"  representing  men  and  women;  ornaments  made  of 
native  gold,  silver,  copper  and  meteoric  iron;  dishes  elaborately 
carved  in  stone;  ornaments  made  of  stone,  shell,  mica,  and  the 
teeth  and  bones  of  animals;  thousands  of  pearls  perforated  for 
ornaments;  knives  of  obsidian;  all  showing  that  the  intercourse 
of  the  people  of  that  time  extended  from  the  copper  and  silver 
region  of  Lake  Superior  on  the  north  to  the  home  of  the  marine 
shells  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  south ;  to  the  mica  mines 
of  North  Carolina  on  the  east  and  the  obsidian  deposits  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  the  west." 

The  beautiful  location  of  this  group  of  earth-works  indicates 
that  in  this  locality  there  must  have  been  a  great  population,  the 
relics  containing  evidence  of  the  wealth  of  the  builders,  as  well  as 
the  religious  character  of  the  works  themselves.  Near  this 
group  of  works  the  explorers  found  in  the  burying  place  of  the 
sun  worshipers  a  number  of  graves  containing  skeletons  attended 

*We  would  here  acknowledge  our  obligation  to  General  G.  P.  rhruston,  who  has 
kindly  loaned  us  the  cuts  which  he  has  used  In  illustrating  his  excellent  work  on 
•The  Antiquities  of  Tennessee." 


267 


by  a  large  sea  shell  made  into  a  drinking  cup  and  a  number  of 
shell  beads,  and  enclosed  in  the  bones  of  each  hand  a  spool- 
shaped  ornament  made  of  copper,  a  copper  pin,  a  wooden  bead 
covered  with  thin  copper,  several  long,  sharp-edged,  flint  knives 
of  the  same  shape  and  character  as  obsidian  flakes  from  Mexico. 
Of  the  ear  ornaments,  Prof  Putnam  says:  "I  have  never  found 
them  in  any  of  the  several  thousand  stone  graves  of  the  Cum 
berland  Valley  which  I  have  explored,  nor  have  we  found  traces 
of  them  among  the  hundreds  of  graves  associated  with  the  sin 
gular  ash-pits  in  the  cemeteries  which  we  have  explored  in  the 
Little  Miami  Valley,  nor  with  the  skeletons  buried  in  the  stone 
mounds  of  Ohio.  They  seem  to 
be  particularly  associated  with 
a  people  with  whom  cremation 
of  the  dead,  while  a  rite,  was  not 
general,  and  who  built  the  great 
earth-works  of  the  Ohio  Valley. 
I  can  further  say  that  in  all  re 
cent  Indian  graves  I  have  opened 
this  peculiar  kind  of  ornament 
has  not  been  found;  we  have 
certainly  found  them  in  such  con 
ditions  in  Ohio  that  they  must 
have  been  buried  with  their  own 
ers  long  before  the  times  of  Co 
lumbus."  One  peculiarity  of  the 
altars  is  that  they  seem  to  have 
been  emptied  and  used  over  and 
over  again,  but  the  bones  and 
ashes  were  removed  and  buried 
by  themselves.  In  reference  to 
the  locality  Prof.  Putnam  says: 
"  The  more  we  examine  these  works  the  more  interesting  and 
instructive  they  become ;  we  have  already  spread  before  us  the 
outlines  of  a  grand  picture  of  the  singular  ceremonies  connected 
with  the  religion  and  mortuary  customs  of  a  strange  people." 

Spool  ornaments  have  since  been  found  among  the  stone  graves 
and  described  by  Gen.  Thruston.  Fig.  18.  The  cross  was  found 
in  the  Big  Harpeth  works  in  Tennessee.  One  of  the  spools — 
No.  2 — was  found  in  a  large  mound,  embedded  in  ashes,  south 
of  Nashville.  This  had  a  thread  of  vegetable  fibre -about  the 
central  shaft.  The  other — No.  3 — was  found  in  a  mound  in 
the  Savannah  works.  The  little  copper  awl,  with  horn  handle, 
was  found  on  Rhea's  Island,  Tennessee.  Gen.  Thruston  says  in 
reference  to  these  spools  that  their  similarity  to  those  of  Ohio 
illustrates  the  intercourse  which  prevailed  during  prehistoric 
times.  We  call  attention  to  the  idol  pipes;  the  one  represented 
in  the  cut  (Fig.  19)  was  taken  from  the  great  Etowah  mound  in 


Fig.  19. — Pipe  from  Etowah  Mound. 


268 

Georgia,  ploughed  up  near  the  base  of  the  pentagonal  pyramid. 
It  may  have  been  used  by  one  of  the  ancient  caciques  in  blowing 
or  puffing  tobacco  smoke  to  the  sun  at  his  rising,  as  was  their 
habit.  It  shows  the  prevalence  of  sun  worship  during  prehistoric 
times.  The  Mound-builders  of  this  section  had  many  idol  or 
image  pipes.  Some  of  these  pipes  represented  females  holding 
pottery  vessels,  others  males  holding  pipes;  the  sex  being  dis 
cernible  in  the  faces  and  by  the  utensils  used;  the  faces  always 
directed  towards  the  sun. 

What  is  peculiar  about  the  works  in  Ohio  is  that  the  very 
mounds  where  so  many  relics  were  discovered  and  where  offer 
ings  had  evidently  been  made  were  in  circular  enclosures  which 
were  sacred  to  the  sun.  The  dimensions  of  the  enclos 
ures  are  as  follows:  That  upon  the  hill  was  a  perfect  circle,  550 
feet  in  diameter ;  contained  a  large  mound,  in  which  was  a  stone 
wall,  four  feet  high,  surrounding  an  altar  of  burned  clay,  from 
which  objects  of  shell,  stone,  copper  were  taken.  A  graded  way 
from  the  top  of  the  hill  to  the  level  land  below  connects  the  cir 
cle  above  with  an  oval  enclosure,  whose  greatest  diameter  is  1500 
feet.  Near  this  oval  is  an  earth  circle,  300  feet  in  diameter,  and 
in  the  circle  a  small  mound.  At  the  foot  of  the  graded  way  is 
another  small  circle,  enclosing  a  burial  mound  and  a  group  of 
altar  mounds,  around  each  of  which  is  a  circular  wall.  Here, 
then,  we  have  the  same  symbol  as  at  Portsmouth — a  conical 
mound  inside  of  a  circular  enclosure,  and  what  is  more  the 
mound  has  proved,  after  excavation,  to  contain  an  altar  and 
relics  upon  the  altar,  thus  confirming  the  thought  that  this  was 
a  symbol  of  the  sun. 

The  works  at  Cedar  Banks  suggest  the  same  combination. 
This  work  is  situated  upon  a  table-land.  It  consists  of  a  square 
enclosure,  1400  feet  wide,  1050  feet  in  length,  with  tMo  gateways 
60  feet  wide,  and  an  elevated  platform  250  feet  long,  150  feet 
broad  and  4  feet  high,  which  is  ascended  from  the  ends  by  graded 
ways  30  feet  broad,  and  in  all  respects  resemble  the  truncated 
pyramids  at  Marietta.  About  300  feet  distant  from  the  enclos 
ure  are  the  singular  parallel  walls,  connected  at  the  ends,  870  teet 
long  and  70  feet  apart.  About  one  third  of  a  mile  south  is  a 
truncated  pyramid,  120  feet  square  at  the  base,  9  feet  in  height, 
and  a  small  circle,  250  feet  in  diameter,  with  an  entrance  from 
the  south  30  feet  wide.  The  sides  of  the  pyramids  correspond 
to  the  cardinal  points.  The  circle  has  a  ditch  interior  to  the 
embankment.  It  has  also  a  semi-circular  embankment  interior 
to  the  ditch,  opposite  the  entrance.  The  group  is  so  disposed  as 
to  command  a  fine  view  of  the  river  terraces  below  it.  The  head 
land  seems  to  have  been  artificially  smoothed  and  rounded.  See 
Plate  III. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  design  of  these  works.  The 
most  plausible  theory  is  that  the  truncated  pyramid  within  the 


269 

square  enclosure  was  the  site  of  a  temple  or  depository  for  the 
dead;  that  the  small  circle  and  small  pyramid  were  covered  with 
religious  houses  resembling  rotundas;  that  the  parallel  lines 
were  devoted  to  the  trial  of  prisoners  or  captives,  and  that  the 
whole  group  was  used  for  religious. purposes. 

We  pass  from  this  region  to  Circleville  (see  Fig.  20),  at  the 
head  of  the  Scioto  River.  Here  was  formerly  a  group  of  mounds 
which  were  the  first  ever  explored.  The  exploration  called  at 
tention  to  the  ancient  works  of  the  State.  Here  were  a  large 
circle  and  square.  Within  the  circle  the  conical  mound,  sur 
rounding  the  mound  a  crescent-shaped  fire-bed  or  pavement, 
composed  of  pebbles  extending  six  rods  from  the  base  of  the 


€>H  JO. 


Fig.  20.— Circle  and  Crescent  at  Circleville. 

mound.  Over  the  pavement  was  a  raised  way,  which  led  from 
the  area  ot  the  enclosure  to  the  summit  of  the  mound,  the  in 
clined  passage  or  bridge  making  the  ascent  easy.  The  crescent 
pavement  attracted  attention  and  was  a  very  interesting  feature 
of  the  work.  It  may  be  that  fire  was  kept  burning  in  this  pave 
ment  and  that  the  passage  to  the  summit  of  the  mound  was 
through  the  fire.  Atwater  says  that  the  pavement  was  east  of 
the  central  mounds  and  extended  six  rods  from  it.  The  mound 
was  10  feet  high,  several  rods  in  diameter  at  the  base;  26  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  summit.  The  circle  was  surrounded  by  two 
walls,  with  a  ditch  between, — the  height  being  20  feet  from  the 
bottom  of  the  ditch.  They  were  picketed.  The  walls  of  the 
square  were  10  feet  high,  and  had  eight  gateways  with  watch 
towers  or  mounds,  4  feet  high,  inside  the  gateways. 


270 

Two  human  skeletons  were  found  lying  on  the  original  surface 
of  the  earth,  with  charcoal  and  wood  ashes,  several  bricks,  well 
burned,  a  quantity  of  spear  heads,  a  knife  of  elk's  horn,  a  large 
mirror,  made  of  mica,  three  feet  in  length,  one  and  one  half  feet 
in  breadth,  one  half  inch  in  thickness.  The  skeleton  had  been 
burned  in  a  hot  fire,  which  had  almost  consumed  the  bones. 
The  tumulus  outside  of  the  circle  contained  many  skeletons  that 
were  laid  horizontally  with  their  heads  toward  the  center,  feet 
out.  Beside  the  skeletons  were  some  stone  axes,  knives  and 
perforated  tablets.  The  fosse  near  the  mound,  which  contained 
skeletons,  was  semicircular  in  shape. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  symbolism  of  the  fire  cult,  of  the 
moon  cult,  and  the  solar  cult,  and  we  imagine  the  ceremonies 
observed  were  symbolic.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  East  to  make 
the  victims  pass  through  the  fire.  It  is  possible  that  the  same 
was  practiced  here,  and  that  human  sacrifice  was  offered  on  this 
mound.  The  crescent  pavement  is  to  be  noticed,  for  there  were 
others  resembling  it.  Mr.  S.  H.  Brinkley  speaks  of  a  pavement 
surrounding  a  large  mound,  near  the  Big;  Twin  Fort.  This 
pavement  was  to  the  east  of  the  mound  and  was  crescent 
shaped;  it  was  ninety  feet  in  width,  and  extended  under  the  foot 
of  the  mound.  To  the  west  of  the  mound,  on  the  edge  of  the 
bluff,  and  below  the  bluff,  was  an  immense  heap  of  ashes,  ten 
feet  deep.  The  mound  was  elliptical  in  form  and  was  perched 
upon  the  brow  of  the  bluff  in  a  sightly  place.  Mr.  Brinkley 
thinks  the  ashes  were  the  result  of  cremated  remains ;  and  he  is 
a  very  careful  observer.  From  the  quantity  of  ashes,  we  judge 
that  the  fire  must  have  been  long  continued.  Here,  then,  we 
have  again  a  crescent  shaped  pavement  associated  with  fire  and 
ashes.  The  significance  of  these  different  works  will  be  under 
stood  if  we  compare  the  rites  and  the  ceremonies  of  the  sun 
worshippers  of  this  district  with  those  which  prevailed  in  Syria 
and  Phoenicia,  in  Old  Testament  times.  The  pavement  of  the 
crescent  suggests  the  idea  that  the  victims  passed  through  the 
fire.  The  ashes  within  the  mound  suggest  human  sacrifices.  The 
position  of  the  bodies  indicates  that  they  were  sacrifices  to  the 
sun.  The  height  of  the  works  suggest  the  thought  that  there 
were  temples  upon  them  which  were  devoted  to  the  sun, 


271 


If  tJNIVEKSITY 

CHAPTER  XIV 


MOUND-BUILDERS'  AND  INDIAN  RELICS. 

The  study  of  the  archaeological  relics  of  the  Mississippi  Val 
ley  furnishes  to.  us  a  very  interesting  field,  and  brings  before  us 
many  points  of  inquiry ;  but  no  one  of  them  is  more  interesting 
than  the  one  set  before  us  in  the  title  of  this  chapter.  There  are, 
to  be  sure,  a  few  relics  which  remind  us  of  the  distinction  be 
tween  the  paleolithic  and  the  neolithic  ages  in  Europe;  these 
have  been  discovered  in  so  many  places  that  they  require  us  to 
adopt  this  classification  in  America.  The  large  majority  of 
the  relics,  however,  are  those  which  belong  to  the  neolithic  age, 
though,  perhaps,  if  we  were  to  make  the  distinction  between  the 
stone  age  and  the  copper  age,  we  might  say  that  the  relics  be 
long  to  this  rather  than  the  former  age.  The  enquiry  as  to 
whether  there  is  a  difference  between  the  Mound-builders'  and 
the  Indian  relics  is  an  old  one.  Opinions  upon  it  have  drifted 
from  one  side  to  the  other,  the  pendulum  vibrating  to  either  ex 
treme.  Just  at  present  the  opinion  seems  to  be  setting  toward 
the  removal  of  the  distinction.  At  the  next  turn,  however,  it 
may  be  that  the  distinction  will  be  the  more  clearly  brought  out, 
and  the  differences  between  the  two  be  more  striking  than  ever. 
Even  if  we  call  them  all  Indians,  we  shall  by  and  by  see  that  the 
Indians  differed  radically  among  themselves,  and  may  therefore 
well  be  called  by  different  names.  We  might  claim,  to  be  sure, 
that  the  Mound-builders  were  occupants  of  the  Mississippi  Val 
ley  at  a  time  anterior  to  the  historic  Indians,  as  there  were 
prehistoric  races  west  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory  who 
were  anterior  to  the  historic.  This  was  probably  the  case 
with  the  so-called  Zuni  Indians,  and  was  certainly  the  case  with 
those  Indians  whom  we  call  the  Pueblos  and  Cliff-dwellers.  We 
call  them  Pueblos  and  Cliff-dwellers  just  as  we  call  these  Mound- 
builders,  but  not  so  much  because  they  were  different  from  In 
dians,  but  because  they  built  different  structures  and  lived  at  a 
different  period. 

I.  Our  first  point  will  be  that  the  terms  Indian  and  Mound- 
builders  are  correct,  and  may  properly  be  used.  The  following 
arguments,  we  think,  will  show  that  the  terms  are  correct. 

I,  It  will  be  acknowledged  by  all  that  there  was  a  time  when 
mound-building  was  a  common  custom,  and  that  there  came  a 
time  when  the  custom  ceased.  This  fact,  we  maintain,  establishes 


272 

a  mound-building  period.  The  question  we  ask  is  whether  the 
existence  of  such  a  period  is  not  sufficient  reason  for  us  to  use 
two  terms,  namely,  the  Mound-builders  and  the  Indians,  making 
the  first  significant  of  the  people  who  lived  during  the  mound- 
building  period,  but  the  last  significant  of  the  people  who  lived 
after  that  period.  This  may  be  a  new  use  for  the  term  Indian, 
and  yet  if  the  term  Mound-builders  should  be  made  definitive, 
we  see  no  reason  why  the  last  term  should  not  also,  especially 
as  the  time  of  the  cessation  of  mound-building  is  not  taken  into 
the  account,  the  only  point  being  the  use  of  the  terms.  There 
are,  to  be  sure,  other  terms  which  might  be  used  to  express  the 
same  fact,  yet  these  terms  are  also  very  suggestive.  We  fix 
upon  the  date  of  discovery  as  the  time  when  the  prehistoric  age 
ceased  and  the  historic  began ;  there  was  a  time,  however,  which 
intervened  between  these  two,  or  which  overlapped  the  two,  to 
which  we  give  the  name  proto-historic.  This  makes  three  terms, 
each  of  which  is  expressive  of  periods  as  well  as  of  people  who 
lived  during  these  periods.  The  Mound-builders  we  may  regard 
as  the  people  who  lived  during  the  prehistoric  period ;  the  Indians 
the  people  who  lived  during  the  protohistoric  age;  the  whites 
the  historic  people.  These  three  terms  we  consider  appropriate 
as  indicating  the  periods,  two  of  which  have  been  freely  ascribed 
to  distinct  people,  namely,  the  Mound-builders  and  the  whites. 
The  question  we  ask  is,  Is  it  not  as  correct  to  ascribe  the  middle 
period  to  the  Indians,  and  to  say  that  they  were  also  a  distinct 
people. 

2.  The  contrast  between  the  proto-historic  relics  and  the  pre 
historic  will  be  brought  out  more  fully  if  we  apply  the  term 
"  Mound-builder"  to  one  and  "  Indian"  to  the  other.  The  ab 
sence  of  the  white  man's  influence  would  be  distinctive  of  the 
first,  and  the  increasing  evidence  of  it  would  be  distinctive  of  the 
second  class.  This  line  has  not  always  been  drawn.  With  some 
there  is  a  tendency  to  carry  the  white  man's  history  as  far  back 
as  possible,  and  to  trace  the  evidence  of  the  white  man's  touch 
into  the  earliest  part  of  the  Mound-builders'  period,  the  effort 
apparently  being  to  prove  that  many  of  the  mounds  were  built 
after  the  time  of  the  discovery.  The  truth  is,  however,  that  in 
nearly  all  parts  of  the  country,  the  line  which  divides  the  white 
man's  work  from  the  aboriginal,  is  the  line  which  separates  the 
protohistoric  from  the  prehistoric,  and  should  be  so  recognized. 
That  line  may  be  at  times  found  deeply  embedded  in  some  ol  the 
mounds,  one  portion  of  the  mound  having  been  built  after  the 
time  of  the  white  man,  and  another  portion  before  that  time ; 
but  the  fact  that  there  are  so  many  relics  discovered  in  the 
mounds  which  bear  the  traces  of  the  touch  of  the  white  man, 
proves  that  the  period  we  are  erecting  was  an  important  one.  If 
the  white  man's  history  is  recorded  in  the  proto-historic  tokens  the 
history  of  the  Mound-builders  is  recorded  in  the  prehistoric  tokens 


PLATE  V.— COPPER  IMPLEMENTS  FROM  WISCONSIN  AND  OHIO. 


^/ 


PLATE  VI-MACES  AND  BADGES  FBOM  OHIO  AND  TENNESSEE. 


273 

which  preceded  them,  the  border  line  between  the  historic  and 
the  prehistoric  being  Indian.  It  may  be  very  indefinite  and 
shadowy,  yet  we  may  take  the  ground  before  hand  that  there  was 
a  Mound-builders'  period  and  what  might  be  called  a  modern 
Indian  period. 

3.  The  fact  that  the  Indian  was  associated  with  the  white 
man  during  a  large  portion  of  the  protohistoric  period,  we  think, 
is  enough  to  prove  that  the  terms  "  Mound-builder"  and  "Indian" 
are  appropriate.     The  Mound-builder  had  a  history  which  was 
unique,  but  the   Indian,  so-called,   also  has  a  history,  notwith 
standing   the   presence   of  the   white  man.     The    character  of 
the  art  which  was  introduced  at  an  early  date  and  copied  by  the 
aborigines  and  embodied  in  their  relics   was,  to  be  sure,  very 
rude  compared  with  that  which  had  existed  earlier;  but  the  very 
advance  of  the  white  man's  art  had  a  tendency  to  overshadow 
and  supplant  the  aboriginal  art.     Now  we  have  only  to  apply  the 
term  Indian  to  this  deteriorated  art,  as  we  do  Mound-builder  to 
the  art  before  it  had  deteriorated,  and  we  shall  at  once  notice  a 
marked  distinction  between  them.     The  Mound-builder  changed 
to  Indian  merely  by  contact  with  the  white  man.     Still,  his  art 
would  be  different  from  that  of  the  Indian.     Even  if  it  was  the 
presence  of  the  white  man  that  dismissed  the  Mound-builder's 
art  and  the  same  presence  that  made  the  Indian  art  what  it  was 
and   is,    still,  the    distinction    is  plain.      The    Mound-builders, 
technically  speaking,  were  unacquainted  with  the  white  man,  the 
Indians,  as   we    understand   them,   were   well  acquainted  with 
him.     This  distinction  can  be  recognized.     The  natives  seized 
the  inventions  of  the  civilized  races   and  adapted  them  to  their 
own  uses,  covering  them  with  their  own  barbaric  imagery  and 
giving  to  them  that  rude  shape  which  was  the  result  of  their 
own  native  cultus,  but  which  could  not  hide  the  evidence  of  the 
intruded   cultus  of   the  white   man.     There  was  a  symbolism 
among  the  native  race  which   did  not  immediately  pass  away. 
Some  of  it  was  unconsciously  mingled  with  the  art  forms  which 
were  introduced.     The  mingling  of  this  earlier  symbolism  with  a 
symbolism  which  was  introduced  has  brought  much  confusion 
into  the  archaeology  of  the  period.     Yet  this  of  itself  constitutes 
a  history,  as  it  shows  how  the  Mound-builder  system  became 
merged  into  the  Indian. 

4.  The  history  of  this  country  has  been  written  from  the  side 
of  the  white  man — a  history  of  the  civilized  races,  but  the  relics 
bring  us  into  contact  with  the  history  as  recorded  by  the  "red 
man,"  the  relics  being  the  archives  in  which  those   records  were 
kept.     The  Europeans  who  came  to  this  continent  at  an  early 
day  were  not  like  the  Europeans  of  the  present  day,  nor  would 
the  works  of  art  or  industry  which  they  introduced  be  regarded 
as  equal  to  those  which  we  are  accustomed  to  call  modern  in 
ventions.     These  rude  and  antiquated  relics  which  we  call  proto- 


274 


historic  are,  however,  different  from  the  prehistoric,  and  so  we 
we  have  the  three  records  contained  in  the  relics,  the  Mound- 
builders'  record  being  contained  in  the  prehistoric,  the  record 
of  the  modern  Indian  and  early  settlers  in  the  protohistoric,and 

the  record  of  modern  civili 
zation  in  the  historic. 

5.  The  degrees  of  culture 
which  have  prevailed  in  pre 
historic  times  are  brought 
out  by  acknowledging  the 
distinction.  We  find  that  the 
prehistoric  races  were  not 
improved  by  their  contact 
with  the  white  man.  Their 
native  art  rapidly  declined, 
and  the  borrowed  art  did  not 
seem  to  improve  it.  The  na 
tives  chose  only  the  rude 
specimens,  and  made  these 
a  substitute  for  the  better 
specimens  of  their  own  work, 
and  so  took  the  poorest  and 
left  out  the  best.  The  arch 
aeologist  who  gathers  relics 
Figs. land z.-iadinnArrou- H  js  oftentimes  very  much 

puzzled  by  this  means.  He  recognizes  the  native  handi 
work;  he  also  recognizes  the  intruded  cultus;  and  yet  the 
combination  of  the  two  presents  to  him  a  mongrel  lot  of  relics 
which  are  of  little 
value  for  the  study 
of  prehistoric  arch 
aeology,  and  of  still 
less  value  for  the 
study  of  early  his 
tory  ;  and  yet  it 
seems  important 
that  these  relics 
should  be  gathered. 
The  lesson  is  plain. 
The  red  man  has 
declined,  and  the 
white  man  has  ad 
vanced. 

6.    This  contrast 

,  .       T      ,.  Figs.  3  and  L— Indian  Arrow  Heads. 

between  the  Indian 

relics  and  the  Mound-builders  reveals  the  history  of  the  lost  arts. 
The  reason  they  were  lost  was  because  of  the  change  from  the 
prehistoric  to  the  historic  period.  The  motive,  spirit,  form,  execu- 


275 

tion,  of  prehistoric  relics  were  all  different  from  anything  which 
can  be  called  historic.  If  we  would  understand  the  lost  arts  we 
must  go  to  those  relics  which  are  purely  prehistoric.  Changes 
may,  to  be  sure,  have  occurred  during  prehistoric  times,  but 
greater  changes  occurred  during  the  protohistoric.  This  may 
be  seen  by  comparing  the  Indian  relics  with  those  which  have 
come  from  the  mounds.  The  Indian  relics  are  inferior  to  the 
Mound-builder's.  This  may  be  owing  to  the  incursion  of  savage 
hunters,  who  drove  off  the  sedentary  population  and  took  pos 
session  of  their  works,  or  it  may  be  owing  to  the  intrusion  of 
white  men,  who  came  in  and  transformed  the  entire  life  of  the 
aborigines.  The  history  of  the  lost  arts  is  contained  in  both 
periods. 


Fig.  5.— European  Portrait  Pipe. 

Deterioration  is  strangely  stamped  on  all  the  works  of  the  red 
Indian.  The  hunters  deteriorated  in  their  skill  as  hunters.  They 
abandoned  their  game-drives,  which  were  built  of  earth  and  took 
to  constructing  temporary  screens  made  from  brush  and  the 
branches  of  trees.  They  exchanged  the  bow  and  arrow  for  the 
rifle;  no  longer  hunted  on  foot,  but  went  with  their  ponies,  mov 
ing  their  villages  with  them.  Their  stone  relics  gradually  dis 
appeared,  and  iron  weapons  which  they  borrowed  from  the  white 
man  took  their  place.  The  agriculture  deteriorated.  The  large 
fields  which  formerly  surrounded  their  villages  were  reduced  to 
small  patches  of  corn.  Their  garden  beds,  which  were  so  reg 
ular  and  covered  such  large  plats  of  ground,  were  reduced  to 
mere  hills  of  beans  and  squashes.  The  large  hoes  and  spades 
which,  as  agricultural  tools,  are  regarded  as  interesting  works  of 


276 

art,  were  abandoned,  and  the  rudest  kind  of  iron  hoes  were  used 
in  their  place.  The  military  skill  deteriorated.  The  great  forts, 
with  the  elaborate  gateways,  which  had  formerly  protected  the 
Mound-builders,  were  abandoned.  The  stockades  of  the  Indians 
which  were  known  to  history  took  their  place.  The  elaborate 

spears  and  arrows,  maces  and  military 
badges  soon  disappeared,  and  were  sup 
planted  by  iron  tomahawks,  leather  belts, 
steel  knives  and  tin  buckles.  Gunpow 
der,  which  was  introduced  from  Europe, 
changed  the  mode  of  warfare.  The  long 
spear  and  the  war  club  may  have  con 
tinued  for  a  time,  but  they  were  used 
more  as  badges  of  office  and  as  orna 
ments  than  as  weapons  of  war.  The 
head-dresses  made  of  plumes  of  noble 

birds,  such  as  the  eagle  and  the  hawk, 

Fig.  e^-French  Portrait.  and  which  showed  the  ambition  of  the 
chiefs,  were  exchanged  for  turbans  of  cloth  and  various  nonde 
script  head  gear.  The  imagery  ot  the  native  art  does  not  improve 
by  the  modern  semblances.  If  the  Mound-builder  became  the 
Indian,  the  red  Indian  is  a  poor  specimen  of  what  the  Mound- 
builder  was,  for  deterioration  is  written  over  his  entire  form,  and  his 
dress,  his  ornaments,  his  weapons,  his  badges,  his  accoutrements 
and  his  tout  ensemble  furnish  a  mere  travesty  on  the  native 
grandeur  which  has  passed  away.  We  maintain  that  the  Mound- 
buildej-  was  a  better  specimen  of  the  Indian  than  the  native 
Indian  himself,  and  so  we  should  retain  the  name,  even  if  we 
granted  the  premises,  that  the  Mound-builders  survived  the 
Indians. 

7.  The  difference  between  the  Mound-builder  and  the  Indian 
of  modern  days  is  very  striking,  when  we 
come  to  compare  the  relics  of  the  earlier  and 
the  later  periods.  We  take  the  entire  proto- 
historic  period  as  indicative  of  the  transition, 
and  study  the  relics  which  belong  to  this 
period.  We  then  take  these  with  the  relics 
which  are  purely  prehistoric,  and  learn  from 
them  the  cultus  which  prevailed  during  the 
prehistoric  period.  The  comparison  is  very 
instructive,  though  there  is  a  difficulty  in 
separating  the  one  from  the  other.  Yet  if  we 
place  the  prehistoric  on  one  side  and  the  his-^7' 
toric  or  protohistoric  on  the  other,  making  two  classes  of  the 
relics,  we  are  obliged  to  say  that  the  two  are  very  distinct  and 
should  be  designated  by  two  distinct  terms,  and  we  know  no 
better  terms  than  those  we  have  adopted,  namely,  Mound-builder 
and  Indian. 


277 


II.  We  turn  now  to  another  point.  The  geographical  distri 
bution  of  relics,  proves  that  there  was  a  distinction  between 
the  Mound-builders  and  the  Indians.  There  are  localities  in 
which  the  relics  are  mainly  those  of  the  Indians  known  to  his 
tory.  There  are  other  localities  where  the  relics  are  mainly 
those  which  are  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  the  Mound-build 
ers.  This  fact,  we  think,  is  a  suffi 
cient  reason  for  us  to  establish  the 
two  classes, and  to  call  one  Mound- 
builders'  and  the  other  Indian  rel 
ics. 

I.  Let  us  take  up  the  subject  of 
locality.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
Mound-builders'  territory  was  con 
fined  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  but 
that  the  region  east  of  this  valley, 
especially  that  along  the  Atlantic 
coast,  was  occupied  by  a  people 

Fig.  S.-Grotesque  Portrait.  who      differed      from      the     Mound- 

builders  and  who  resembled  the  modern  Indian.  This  makes 
a  geographical  division  between  the  two  classes.  We  think  this 
will  be  acknowledged  by  all.  The  question  is,  however, 
whether  this  distinction  between  the  two  classes  of  people  can 
be  recognized  in  the  relics  found  in  these  separate  districts, 
and  whether  the  testimony  of  history  is  confirmed  by  archaeol 
ogy.  This  is  the  question  which  we  are  now  to  consider.  We 
would  say,  however,  that  there  are  some 
exceptions  to  this  rule  and  that  the  excep 
tions  must  be  considered  if  we  would  prove 
the  rule.  We  first  look  at  the  region  situ 
ated  in  New  York  and  in  Florida  and  say 
that  here  the  Mound-builders  wandered  out 
of  their  territory  toward  the  northeast  and 
the  southeast,  but,  nevertheless,  we  con 
clude  that  the  sea  coast  was  held  by  the 
Eastern  Indians  and  not  by>  the  Mound- 
builders.  So,  too,  we  find  in  the  interior  the 
many  relics  which  we  may  suppose  were 
left  there  by  the  Eastern  Indians,  and  we 
say  that  these  tribes  must  at  times  have 
overrun  the  Mound-builders'  territory,  and 
yet  we  do  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  the  interior  fig.  o.— Grotesque  Portrait. 
to  the  Mound  builders  rather  than  to  the  Indians.  This  is  our  first 
point.  The  geographical  lines  seem  to  have  separated  the  two 
races,  notwithstanding  the  many  exceptions  to  the  rule.  Our 
second  point,  however,  is  more  conclusive  than  this.  We  are 
to  take  the  relics  which  have  been  gathered  in  one  district,  the 
district  which  we  have  ascribed  to  the  Indians,  and  are  to  com- 


278 


pare  these  with  the  relics  which  have  been  gathered  in  the 
Mound-builders'  territory,  and  see  if  these  are  not  different  enough 
for  us  to  make  two  classes  of  them.  On  this  point,  we  furnish 

evidence  from  two  collections,  and 
$^  ask  the  attention  of  our  readers  to 
the  illustrations  offered.  Of  course, 
it  will  be  expected  that  in  each  col 
lection  there  will  be  more  or  less 
of  mingling  of  relics,  but  the  ques 
tion  is,  do  not  the  collections  show 
a  marked  difference,  so  marked,  in 
deed,  as  to  convince  us  that  the 
art  of  the  two  districts  was  very 
unlike  and  the  people  also  very 
unlike. 

We  have  received  a  series  of  cuts 
from  the  Canadian  Institute  at  To 
ronto,  many  of  them  illustrative  of 
relics  discovered  in  the  region  sur 
rounding  that  city.  These  we  con 
sider  to  be  Indian  relics,  at  least  the 
majority  of  them.  We  propose  to 
institute  a  comparison  between 
these  relics  and  those  which  have 

Fia.lO.-Mound-Buildcr*  Portrait.    be(m    discovered  jn  the  interior,  CS- 

pecially  in  Ohio  and  its  vicinity,  which  is  emphatically  the 
Mound-builders'  region,  to  see  if  there  were  not  differences  be 
tween  the  two  districts.  In  drawing  the 
comparison  we  shall,  however,  place  the 
relics  found  near  Toronto  alongside  of 
others  found  in  Lower  Canada,  making 
one  class.  We  shall  also  take  the  collec 
tion  which  has  been  described  by  Squier 
and  Davis  in  the  book  called  "Ancient 
Monuments,"  and  compare  these  with 
others  which  have  come  out  of  the  mounds 
in  more  recent  times,  and  make  from  them 
a  second  class.  We  shall  take  the  position 
that  the  frst  class  belongs  to  the  Indians, 
the  second  to  the  Mound-builders.  Our 
reasons  for  doing  so  will  be  apparent  as 
we  proceed.  In  reference  to  the  first  col 
lection,  we  may  say  that  there  are  many 
traces  of  contact  with  white  men,  but  it 
is  almost  impossible  to  distinguish  the  fig- n-Bird  shaped  Pipe. 
modern  from  the  ancient.  In  reference  to  the  second  collection, 
there  is  no  such  trace  and  we  must  regard  them  as  purely  pre 
historic.  A  comparison  has  been  drawn  between  the  relics  in 


279 


the  Canadian  Institute  and  Iroquois  relics  which  are  scattered 
throughout  the  State  of  New  York,  and  resemblances  have  been 
traced.  This  is  very  natural,  for  the  Hurons,  who  formerly  dwelt 
in  the  region  about  Toronto,  and  to  whom  these  relics  probably 
belong,  were  akin  to  the  Iroquois,  having  been  originally  a  tribe 

of  the  same  stock.  There  are 
probably  some  Algonquin  rel 
ics  in  the  second  collection, 
as  the  Algonquins  frequently 
visited  the  region.  These  are 
not  Mound-builders'  relics, 
but  they  are  exceptions  and 
seem  to  be  out  of  place. 

We  regard  many  of  these 
Eastern  relics  as  modern  In 
dian,  and  as  interesting  on  this 
account.  The  region  was  over 
run  by  different  tribes — Hu- 

Fig.  12.-Cherry  Bird  Pipe.  rons>     Iroquois,     Algonquins. 

It  is  a  region  in  which  the  French  came  in  contact  with  these  tribes 
and  gave  to  them  many  specimens  of  art,  mainly  weapons  of  war 
and  industry.  These  were  taken  and  used  without  change.  But 
there  were  also  various  ornaments,  and  other  relics,  such  as 
pipes,  maces,  badges,  which  the  French  did  not  introduce.  These 
were  the  works  of  the  natives,  but  they  were  modified  and  were 
covered  with  modern 
ornamentation,  some 
of  them  made  to  imi 
tate  modern  European 
forms  and  faces ;  and 
yet  they  are  classed 
with  the  prehistoric 
specimens.  We  call 
them  protohistoric; 
not  that  they  are  all 
of  this  character,  but 
because  it  is  impossi 
ble  to  distinguish  the 
prehistoric  from  the 
historic.  Ancient  and 
modern  forms  are  so 
mingled  together  in 
the  collection  that  it  becomes  a  book  in  which  we  are  to  read  the 
record  of  the  protohistoric  period.  This  gives  great  value  to  the 
collection,  and  makes  it  unique. 

We  may  say  that  three  periods  have  left  their  record  in  the  col 
lections  :  the  prehistoric,  the  protohistoric  and  the  historic,  and 
yet  strangely  the  three  records  are  very  similar.  This  we  think 


Fig.  13.— Modern  Pottery  Bird  Pipe. 


280 


proof  that  the  Indians  of  this  region  were  always  different  from 
the  Mound-builders  of  the  region  to  the  west  of  it,  the  two  col 
lections  showing  a  great  contrast.  With  reference  to  the  Mound- 
builders'  region  the  same  can  not  be  said.  If  we  take  the  locality 
where  Mound-builders  have  prevailed,  we  find  a  great  contrast 
between  the  earlier  and  the  later  relics,  the  earlier  relics  being 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  Mound-builders,  but  the  later  relics 
to  the  Indians.  This  subject  of  the  sequence  of  history  has 
been  referred  to  by  other  writers.  To  some,  it  seems  to  prove 
that  there  was  a  great  difference  between  the  races ;  to  others  it 
seems  that  there  was  no  difference  whatever;  but  in  our  opinion 
the  study  of  the  relics  will  prove  the  correctness  of  the  position 
which  we  have  taken, — the  differences  depend  altogether  upon 
the  locality  we  are  studying. 


Fig.  15.— Portrait. 


Fig.  16.— Glass  Stopper. 


Fig.  17.— Glass  Stopper. 


Sir  William  Dawson  has  spoken  of  the  village  of  Hochelaga. 
He  gives  the  history  of  the  village  and  an  account  of  its  discov 
ery  by  Jacques  Cartier  in  the  year  1534.  Sometime  in  the 
interval  between  1535  and  1642  Hochelaga  was  utterly  destroyed 
and  the  encroachments  of  the  warlike  Iroquois  made  the  island 
a  sort  of  frontier  or  debatable  land,  on  which  no  man  lived.  The 
Hochelagans  were  not  precisely  either  of  the  Iroquois  or  Algon 
quin  stock,  but  a  remnant  of  an  ancient  and  decaying  nation,  to 
which  the  Eries  and  some  other  tribes  belonged,  and  which  had 
historical  relations  originally  with  the  now  extinct  Alleghans  or 
Mound-builders.  Dr.  Dawson  draws  the  line  between  the  Alle 
ghans  and  the  Hochelagans,  and  says  that  they  were  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  Algonquins,  but  thinks  that  there  was  a  belt 
of  semi-Alleghan  and  semi-Algonquin  territory  along  the  great 
lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  people  inhabiting  which  had 
borrowed  some  of  the  habits,  arts  and  modes  of  life  of  the  Alle 
ghans  or  Mound-builders.  To  this  probably  belong  such  nations 
of  Agricultural  and  village-dwelling  Indians  as  the  Eries,  the 


281 


Neutrals,  the  Hochelagans.  This  distinction  is  one  which  per 
haps  will  aid  us  in  our  study  of  the  relics.  We  take  these 
traditionary  tribes  and  find  that  their  relics  give  no  trace  of  con 
tact  with  the  white  man.  They  were  "Hochelagans".  By 
placing  them  between  the  Indians  that  are  known  to  history  and 
the  Mound-builders,  who  are  unknown  except  by  name,  we  may 

be  able  to  distinguish  three 
races  one  from  another.  The 
affinities  of  the  Alleghans  or 
Mound-builders  have  been 
studied  by  Sir  William  Daw- 
son.  They  have  been  pro 
nounced  to  be  Toltecan. 
They  resemble,  however,  mod 
ern  Indian  as  much  as  they 
do  the  Toltecan  races.  The 

mg.18.-Trumpet  Shaped  Pipe.  ^^     ^     ^     Alleghans      Qr 

Mound-builders  differ  very  much  from  the  relics  of  the  Toltecs. 
The  pottery  of  the  Hochelagans  is  certainly  superior  to  that  of 
the  modern  Indians,  but  it  does  not  equal  that  of  the  "Alleghans". 
The  pipes  of  the  Hochelagans  were  generally  earthern  and  have 
a  peculiar  shape — generally  trumpet  shape.  The  Mound-build 
ers'  pipes  were  very  different  from  these.  The  copper  axes, 
spears,  and  knives  of  the  Alleghans  or  Mound-builders  are 
certainly  very  different  from  the  stone  knives  of  the  Hochela 
gans.  The  badges,  maces  and  other  ornaments  of  the  Mound- 
builders  are  certainly  superior  to  any  of  those  which  are  found 
near  Hochelaga. 


Fig.  19.— Trumpet  Shaped  Pipe. 

We  maintain  that  there  is  a  history  of  the  Indians  and  the 
Mound-builders,  and  that  this  history  is  seen  in  the  relics  as  well 
as  in  the  portraits.  Let  us  take  the  different  relics  for  our  illus 
trations.  There  are  very  many  relics  found  upon  the  surface. 
The  majority  of  these  probably  belong  to  the  later  Indians.  There 
are  also  many  relics  found  in  graves.  We  ascribe  the  graves  to 
the  wandering  tribes  of  Indians,  some  of  them  to  tribes  who 
have  just  disappeared.  The  relics  found  in  the  graves  are  fre- 


282 

quently  mingled  with  historic  articles,  showing  that  the  graves 
were  subsequent  to  historic  times.  There  are  many  relics  found 
in  bone  pits,  We  ascribe  the  bone  pits  generally  to  Indians. 
The  Iroquois,  we  know,  buried  in  bone  pits.  There  are  relics 
found  in  stone  cists.  These  stone  cists  or  graves  are  widely 
scattered ;  they  have  been  generally  assigned  to  the  Shawnees ; 
we  may  safely  say  that  the  stone  graves  belonged  to  modern 
Indians.  There  are  many  relics  found  in  the  top  of  mounds. 
These  are  generally  supposed  to  belong  also  to  modern  Indians. 
It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  mounds  were  all  built  at  one 
time,  or  that  any  one  mound  was  finished  with  one  burial ;  there 
were  many  burials  in  the  mounds,  and  each  burial  furnished  a 
new  record  to  the  mound,  several  burials  having  been  made  be 
fore  the  final  record  was  completed.  The  burial  mounds  along 
the  Mississippi  River,  which  have  been  examined  by  the  author, 
have  all  of  them  contained  several  burials.  The  bones  and  the 


Fig.  20.—  Trumpet  Pipe.  Fig.  Zl.—Tube  Pipe. 

relics  contained  in  these  mounds  were  evidently  deposited  at 
different  periods  and  belonged  to  different  tribes  of  Indians. 
There  is  a  history  of  the  country  contained  in  the  mounds,  the 
history  of  the  tribes  which  formerly  inhabited  the  country.  The 
author  imagines  he  has  discovered  the  bones  of  several  different 
tribes  of  Indians — Sacs  and  Foxes,  Illinois,  and  Dakotas,  all  of 
them  tribes  whose  names  are  known  to  history,  'Hie  original 
Mound-builders'  bones  were,  however,  lower  down  than  any  of 
these  burials,  and  the  bones  found  in  this  lowest  layer  have 
seemed  to  be  different  from  those  found  in  the  upper  layer.  In 
some  cases  the  upper  layer  belonged  to  the  historic  period,  the 
lower  layer  belonged  to  the  prehistoric.  The  difference  in  the 
bones  and  relics  of  the  prehistoric  and  historic  periods  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  the  Mound-builders  and  the  Indians  belonged 
to  different  races. 

III.     The  character  of  the  relics  in  the  different  districts  may 
well  be  considered. 

First,  the  material.  In  the  Montreal  district  a  large  majority 
are  made  of  pottery.  In  Ohio  the  pipes  are  mainly  of  steatite. 
There  are  very  few  pottery  pipes  in  the  Mound-builders'  collec 
tion.  In  the  Davenport  district,  pipes  are  mainly  of  steatite  or 
of  catlinite,  and  in  this  respect  the  Davenport  collection  resem 
bles  the  Ohio  much  more  than  it  does  the  Montreal  district. 


The  modern  semblances  are  recognized  in  the  portrait  pipes 
more  than  in  any  other.  We  find  them,  however,  in  the  Toronto 
collection.  We  call  attention  to  the  modern  European  laces  in 
the  New  York  pipes.  Some  of  these  faces  resemble  French, 
Spanish,  some  English  types  (Figs.  5,  6),  though  it  is  a  question 
whether  this  was  intended.  In  two  of  the  cuts  the  Indian  faces 
may  be  recognized.  In  the  relics  from  the  mounds  of  Ohio 
there  are  no  modern  portraits,  at  least  no  portraits  of  the  white 
man,  though  the  Mound-builder's  face  in  one  may  be  said  to 
resemble  the  Dakota  Indians  and  in  the  other  the  face  of  a 
Shawnee.  This  would  indicate  that  the  Mound-builder  tribes 
may  have  been  followed  by  modern  tribes,  the  features  of  original 
races  having  been  perpetuated  even  to  the  present  day.  If  we 
grant  this,  we  must  acknowledge  that  they  were  different  tribes 
from  the  Eastern  Indians.  See  Fig.  10. 


Fig.  22.— Tube  Pipe.  Fig.  23.— Flat  Pipe. 

The  grotesque  qualities  which  are  found  in  the  modern  Indian 
are  noticeable.  Very  few  such  grotesque  images  are  found  in 
the  Mound-builders'  relics.  The  sportive  element  was  evidently 
in  the  ascendency  when  these  pipes  were  made.  The  artist  took 
a  nodule  of  stone,  and,  finding  a  resemblance  to  a  face  in  it,  he 
turned  it  into  a  grotesque  image.  In  one  case  he  used  the 
mouth  as  the  bowl  of  the  pipe,  filled  it  with  tobacco,  and  smoked 
it  out  of  the  back  of  the  head.  See  Fig.  8.  In  another  case  he 
made  a  caricature  of  the  eye  (see  Fig.  9),  and  used  the  pipe  with 
its  comic  features  out  of  mere  wantonness  or  sport.  A  third 
pipe  had  its  portrait  toward  the  smoker  (see  Fig.  5),  but  its 
semblance  can  not  be  easily  recognized.  It  may  have  been 
either  a  native  American  or  European.  The  square  form  of  one 
pipe  would  indicate  that  it  was  a  modern  product.  The  spike 
in  the  center  of  the  pipe  would  suggest  the  phallic  symbol,  but 
in  a  modern  pipe  would  be  without  significance.  The  grotesque 
pipes  have  been  described  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Barber.  The  most  of 
these  are  modern  Indian,  New  York  State  being  the  source  of  the 
majority  of  them. 

Two  more  portrait  pipes  are  given.  One  is  a  pottery  pipe, 
with  a  face  resembling  a  white  man's.  Another  is  a  carved 
specimen,  and  looks  like  a  Chinese  with  a  turban.  This  last 
was  from  a  piece  of  limestone,  and  is  almost  black.  The  head- 


284 


dress  is  quite  unlike  any  Indian.  The  specimen  is  as  beautiful 
as  it  is  remarkable,  so  says  the  curator.  See  Fig.  7. 

2.  We  take  up  the  animal  pipes.  The  contrast  here  is  very 
marked.  We  find  that  the  Mound-builders  were  very  skillful  in 
imitating  the  shape  of  animals.  The  collection  which  is  now  in 

the  Blackmore  Museum  of 
England  has  many  pipes  rep 
resenting  animals.  These 
pipes  are  well  wrought,  and 
contain  excellent  imitations 
of  the  animal  figures.  The 
habits  of  the  animals  are 
brought  out  as  well  as  the 
shapes.  The  Davenport  col 
lection  has  many  animal- 
shaped  pipes.  The  animals 
represented  in  the  Mound- 
builders'  relics  are,  some  of 
them,  extralimital,  toucans, 

%k.-Fiat  Pipe,  manitees,  showing  that  they 

were  familiar  with  birds  and  animals  found  only  in  Mexico  and 
the  Gulf  States.  The  majority  of  the  animals  are  those  which  were 
common  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi — turtle,  frog, 
toad,  otter,  lynx,  bear,  beaver,  hawk,  cherry  bird,  wood-pecker, 


Fig.  25.— Flat  Pipe. 

duck,  swallow,  heron,  fish-hawk,  rabbit,  wild  cat,  squirrel,  owl, 
alligator.  The  pipes  from  New  York  and  Ontario  are,  some  of 
them,  imitative  of  animals,  but  they  are  generally  poor  imitations. 
We  have  three  imitative  relics  before  us.  It  is  almost  impossi 
ble  to  recognize  the  creature  represented.  In  one  case  we  have 


PLATE  VIII-RELEC3  FROM  THE  STONE  GRAVES. 


285 

the  short  bill  of  the  bird,  in  the  other  we  have  the  tail  of  the 
bird  and  a  rude  imitation  of  the  bill.  In  the  third  we  have  the 
neck,  head  and  eye  of  the  bird,  but  a  poor  imitation  of  both. 
This  last  is  a  pottery  pipe,  and  is  very  rude.  See  Figs.  1 1  and 
13.  They  show  the  imitative  skill  of  the  Indians  of  this  region. 
The  wood-pecker  and  the  cherry  bird,  which  are  from  the 
mounds  of  Ohio,  will  show  the  contrast.  See  Fig.  12.  It  is 
evident  that  the  Mound-builder's  skill  was  much  greater  than 
that  of  the  Canada  Indians. 


Fig.  26. — Brooding  Ornament. 

3.  The  shape  of  the  pipes  is  next  to  be  considered,  There  are 
various  shaped  pipes,  which  may  be  recognized  as  modern  by 
the  shape.  As  a  general  thing,  a  pipe  which  has  straight  sides, 
sharp  angles,  looking  as  if  they  were  sawed,  like  the  one  given 
in  Fig.  5,  will  be  regarded  as  a  modern  pipe.  There  are  many 
such  pipes  throughout  the  country.  Some  of  them  have  panels, 
and  some  have  plain  sides.  Squier  and  Davis  have  described  a 
few,  but  they  were  pipes  which  were  known  to  belong  to  certain 
historic  Indians.  The  pipe  of  Keokuk  is  depicted  in  this  book. 
Mr.  E.  A.  Barber  has  described  other  pipes  from  Lake  Superior, 
and  Mr,  Catlin  has  described  many  others.  These  were  the 
pipes  of  Mandan  chiefs.  All  of  them  had  straight  sides  and  a 
bowl  at  one  end;  the  material  was  catlinite.  A  pipe  which  has 


Fig.  % 7.— Brooding  Ornament. 

the  shape  of  a  glass  stopper  seems  to  be  common.  Figs.  16,  17. 
These  are  evidently  modern,  and  have  the  appearance  of  having 
been  turned  in  a  lathe,  as  the  bands  are  all  parallel,  and  the  bowl  is 
divided  into  different  parts.  No  such  pipe  was  ever  found  among 
genuine  Mound-builders'  relics.  It  can  not  be  called  a  prehis 
toric  specimen. 

The  trumpet-shaped   pipe:     This  is  a  shape  which  may  be 


286 


either  modern  or  ancient.  We  present  two  specimens  from  the 
collection.  See  Figs.  18  and  19.  The  first  has  ornaments  and 
bands  on  it,  and  was  evidently  made  by  some  Indian.  The  shape 
of  the  pipe  was,  however,  so  much  like  the  common  clay  pipe 
of  the  white  man  that  we  place  it  among  the  modern  semblances. 
A  pipe  from  a  mound  in  Sullivan  County,  Tennessee,  has,  how 
ever,  been  described  by  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas,  which  has  a  bowl 
like  this  one  from  Ontario,  hut  its  stem  has  flanges  or  wings  on 

either  side,  making  it  re 
semble  both  the  Mound- 
builder's  pipe  and  the 
white  man's  pipe.  This 
was  discovered  in  the 
midst  of  the  stone  heaps 
which  have  been  ascribed 

^.-saddle  shaped  stone.  to  the    Cherokees,   and 

was  undoubtedly  a  Cherokee  pipe;  possibly  was  made  after  the 
advent  of  the  white  man.  Mr.  A.  E.  Douglass  has  also  described 
a  trumpet-shaped  pipe  from  Mexico,  though  it  is  uncertain 
whether  it  is  prehistoric  or  historic.  The  trumpet-shaped  pipe 
which  is  next  given  is  perhaps  typical  of  these.  See  Fig.  1 8. 
Sir  William  Dawson  has  described  a  number  of  these.  He  says 
that  the  highest  skill  of  the  Hochelaga  potters  was  bestowed  on 
their  tobacco  pipes.  They  possessed  pipes  of  steatite  or  soap- 
stone,  but  none  of  elaborate  form  have  been  found.  One 
example  of  a  trumpet  pipe,  made  of  catlinite,  is  given.  See  Fig. 
19.  A  great  number  of  fragments  of  clay  pipes  bearing  the 
trumpet  shape  show  that  this  was  a  common  form.  See  Fig.  20. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
pipe  has  the  shape  of  a  war 
club,  the  bowl  constituting 
the  head  of  the  club,  the 
stem  the  handle.  Two 
tube  pipes  are  represented. 
They  were  probably  the 
pipes  of  Indians  and  not  of 
Mound-builders.  See  Figs. 
2 1  and  22.  Another  shape 
is  very  common  among 
the  Indians.  It  is  a  pipe 
which  has  a  flat  platform  as  a  substitute  for  a  bowl,  the  orifice  of 
the  pipe  being  in  the  center  of  the  plate.  Such  a  pipe  as  this 
was  regarded  in  a  measure  as  sacred.  See  Figs.  23,  24  and  25. 
The  tobacco  was  placed  upon  the  flat  surface,  lighted,  and  the 
pipe  was  passed  around  the  circle,  for  the  warriors  or  council 
men  to  blow  the  smoke  out,  as  a  sign  of  good  faith  and  worship. 
Such  pipes  belong  to  the  modern  Indians,  either  to  the  Algon- 
quins  or  the  Iroquois.  They  are  quite  widely  distributed.  We 


Fig.  29.— Indian  Mace. 


287 


Fig.  30,— Indian  Mace. 


have  seen  one  in  the  collection  at  Potosi,  Wisconsin.  Catlin  has 
pictured  one  in  his  book  on  the  Mandan  Indians  and  the  Smith 
sonian  Reports  speak  of  other  pipes  of  a  similar  shape. 

We  have  dwelt  upon  the  description  of  these  relics  for  the 
reason  that  they  are  supposed  to  have  been  typical  specimens. 
The  execution  of  the  cuts  is,  to  be  sure,  somewhat  imperfect, 

and  yet  the  shape 
of  the  relics  will  be 
easily  seen  from 
them.  We  take  the 
position  that  the 
collection  as  a 
whole  illustrates 
the  peculiarities  ot 
the  Indian  art,  pe 
culiarities  which 
are  not  ^recognized 
in  the  Mound- 
builders'  art.  These  peculiarities  seem  to  have  been  derived  from 
prehistoric  times,  and  to  indicate  that  the  Indians  of  this  region 
at  least  were  always  different,  or,  at  least,  had  different  types  ot 
art,  from  the  Mound-builders.  Certainly,  so  far  as  the  relics  can 
show  it,  we  should  say  that  there  was  a  wide  difference  between 
the  two  classes  of  people,  and  that  this  difference  existed  in  pre 
historic  times  as  well  as  in  historic.  We  might  here  draw  upon 
history  to  show  the  same  fact.  It  is  well  known  that  the  region 

we  have  been  describing,  and  from 

which  these  relics  were  gathered, 
was  the  one  which  was  first  occu 
pied  by  the  white  man.  It  is  the 
region  in  which  the  protohistoric 
period  was  most  prolonged.  There 
have  been,  to  be  sure,  a  few  other 
localities  in  which  this  period  was 
equally  protracted,  but  in  none  was 
it  likely  that  so  many  protohistoric 
relics  would  be  left  as  here. 

4.  There  are  certain  relics  which 
seem  to  have  been  widely  distrib 
uted,  but  they  are  at  the  same  time 
regarded  as  Mound-builders'  rel 
ics,  for  they  are  sometimes  found 
the  finish  which  characterizes  the  Mound-builders'  art.  We 
refer  to  the  saddle-shaped  specimens.  These  are  sometimes 
called  brooding  ornaments,  as  the  supposition  is  that  they  rep 
resented  birds  as  brooding,  and  at  the  same  time  were  worn  as 
signs  of  maternity.  There  is  one  thing  to  favor  this  view  of  the 
relics.  The  head-dress  of  the  Egyptian  goddess  Neith,  who  was 


Fig.  31.— Mound-Builder's  Mace. 

in  mounds  and  have  all  of 


288 


the  goddess  of  maternity,  was  in  the  shape  of  a  vulture,  the 
wings  resting  down  over  the  ears,  but  the  head  and  tail  project 
ing  above  the  head,  forming  a  sort  of  crown.  It  is  possible  that 
the  bird  ornament,  or  brooding  ornament,  as  it  is  called,  was  used 
in  the  same  way.  There  are  portrait  pipes  which  have  horns 
projecting  above  the  head,  drapery  thrown  over  the  horns  and 
falling  down  at  the  side  of  the  head.  The  question  is  whether 
the  horns  which  furnish  the  support  for  the  drapery  were  not 
formed  by  a  brooding  ornament,  the  head  and  tail  of  the  bird  pro 
jecting  above  the  head  upward,  the  body  of  the  bird  forming  the 
support  for  the  drapery.  This  may  have  been  one  use,  Another 
way  of  wearing  the  ornament  would  be  to  fasten  it  on  the  top 
of  the  head,  making  projections  over  at  the  side,  as  well  as 
above  the  head,  a  cord  passing  around  under  the  chin  and  over 

the  head.  Another 
Way  of  wearing  the 
ornament  would|be 
to  place  it  on  top 
of  the  head,  where 
it  would  make  a 
single  horn,  the 
three  ways  of  wear 
ing  the  ornament 
requiring  three  dif 
ferent  shapes.  As 
an  argument  in  fa 
vor  of  this  view, 
we  would  mention 

Fig.  ^.-Monitor  Pipe,  Indian.  faz  fact  that  brood- 

ing  ornaments  have  three  shapes,  one  being  in  the  shape  of  a  sad 
dle,  with  two  projections,  but  with  no  bird  shape  in  it ;  a  second 
would  be  the  bird-shaped  ornament,  the  length  and  the  size 
varying1  according  to  circumstances,  but  with  tail  and  head  both 
elevated,  making  two  horns;  the  third  case  is  an  imitation  of  the 
bird,  but  the  head  alone  is  elevated,  making  a  single  horn  instead 
of  a  double  one.  We  give  the  following  cuts  to  illustrate  these 
points.  We  have  the  bird-shaped  amulet  in  Figs.  24,  25,  26; 
we  have  the  portraits  which  show  the  possible  use  of  these  orna 
ments  in  Figs.  27,  28,  29.  The  three  shapes  of  the  brooding 
ornaments  are  given  in  the  cuts,  and  the  three  ways  of  wearing 
them  can  be  seen  in  the  portrait  pipes.  As  an  additional  argu 
ment,  we  would  refer  to  the  method  of  wearing  the  hair  which 
was  common  among  the  Pueblo  women.  There  is  a  roll  above 
or  over  the  ears,  which  resembles  the  projections  at  the  side  of 
the  bird's  head,  and  at  the  same  time  resembles  the  spool  orna 
ments  which  are  so  common  in  the  mounds.  These  spool 
ornaments  are  remarkable  relics.  There  was  evidently  a  sym 
bolism  about  them,  a  symbolism  which  was  very  widespread.  We 


289 

take  the  spool  ornaments,  the  brooding  ornament,  and  compare 
them  with  the  Egyptian  head-dress.  We  then  take  the  Pueblo 
manner  of  wearing  the  hair,  and  the  various  pictures,  and  place 
them  together,  and  ask  whether  there  was  not  a  symbolism  in  all 
this,  a  symbolism  which  possibly  had  a  common  source  in  some 
historic  ancestry.  This  explanation  may  not  be  accepted  by  all.  A 
few  bird  amulets  have  been  found  which  in  shape  contradict  it. 
There  is  a  bird  amulet  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  L.  O.  Bliss,  of 
Iowa  Falls.  It  consisted  originally  of  three  pieces,  the  top  piece 
being  in  the  shape  of  a  duck  with  a  flat  back,  the  middle  piece 
being  a  mere  flat  tablet,  resembling  the  perforated  tablets,  the 
lower  piece  being  boat-shaped,  resembling  the  boat-shaped  relics 
which  are  so  common.  The  explanation  of  this  remarkable 
relic  is  that  a  duck  was  placed  upon  the  boat-shaped  relic,  and 


Fig.  33.— Monitor  Pipe,  Indian. 

could  be  rocked  in  a  way  to  resemble  the  floating  of  a  duck  on 
the  water.  The  relic,  remarkable  as  it  is,  does  not  in  reality 
contradict  the  explanation  which  we  have  given.  The  duck 
might  be  taken  as  a  symbol  of  maternity;  it  is  a  very  common 
symbol,  not  only  among  the  Indians  and  Mound-builders,  but 
among  the  Peruvians.  It  would  seem  as  if  this  idea  of  repre 
senting  maternity  by  the  brooding  ornament  or  bird-shaped 
head-dress  was  very  widespread. 

The  question  arises  whether  these  were  Mound-builders'  or 
Indian  relics.  In  answer  to  this  we  would  suggest  that  if  they 
were  Mound-builders  they  are  very  interesting  specimens,  since 
those  which  are  undoubtedly  Indian  are  much  ruder  than  those 
which  were  Mound-builders'.  We  call  attention  to  the  brooding 
ornaments  from  the  Canadian  Institute  at  Toronto  as  compared 
with  the  ornaments  in  the  Blackmore  Museum,  described  by 
E.  G.  Squier  in  "Ancient  Monuments."*  Still,  we  would  say 

*Page239. 


290 

that  Dr.  C.  C.  Abbott  has  mentioned  the  prevalence  of  these 
brooding  ornaments  in  New  Jersey,  found  on  the  sites  of  the 
ancient  Indian  villages  in  New  Jersey. f  Mr.  Henry  Oilman 
also  says  of  these  bird-shaped  stones:  "I  have  learned  through 
an  aged  Indian  that  in  olden  times  these  ornaments  were  worn 
on  the  heads  of  the  Indian  women,  but  only  after  marriage;  the 
figure  of  a  brooding  bird  was  a  familiar  sight  to  the  children  of 
the  forest."  Dr.  Edward  Sterling,  of  Cleveland,  says:  "Such 
bird  effigies  made  of  wood  have  been  noticed  among  the  Ottawas 
of  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  Michigan,  fastened  on  the  top  of  the 
head  of  the  women  as  an  indication  of  maternity."  Wm.  Penn 
says :  "When  the  young  women  are  fit  for  marriage,  they  wear 
something  on  their  heads  for  an  advertisement,  so  that  their 
faces  are  hardly  to  be  seen,  except  when  they  please."  Dr.  Ab 
bott  speaks  of  one  bird-shaped  stone  found  in  Vermont,  another 
found  near  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  another  in  Cumberland  County, 
New  Jersey.  This  was  intended  to  represent  a  diver  or  duck 
with  a  long  neck.  A  very  beautiful  specimen  was  recently  dis- 


Fig.  S!t. — Monitor  Pipe,  Indian. 

covered  by  Mr.  Thompson  in  Michigan.  After  considering  the 
great  number  of  these  relics,  and  the  fact  that  they  are  found 
upon  the  surface,  we  should  say  that  they  belong  to  the  modern 
Indian  rather  than  to  the  Mound-builder. 

5.  The  next  class  of  relics  about  which  there  might  be  a 
contention  as  to  whether  they  were  Mound-builders'  or  Indians, 
is  that  class  which  might  be  called  maces  or  banner  stones. 
These  are  perforated,  and  have  flanges  or  wings,  but  vary  in 
shape,  size  and  finish.  They  are  very  widely  distributed.  Some 
of  them  are  found  in  Canada,  others  in  Florida.  In  fact,  they 
are  common  all  over  the  Mound-builders'  district.  It  would 
seem  as  if  some  of  them  were  made  by  modern  Indians,  but  that 
in  making  them  they  only  perpetuated  a  native  symbol,  or  en 
sign  of  office,  without  preserving  the  skill  which  formerly  had 
been  exercised  in  finishing  them,  We  call  attention  to  the  spec 
imens  which  are  furnished  by  the  Canadian  Institute  as  compared 

fSee  Abbott's  Primitive  Industry,  pp.  372-374. 


291 

with  those  described  by  Mr.  A.  E.  Douglass.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  Toronto  specimens  are  much  ruder  than  the  Florida 
specimens.  The  contrast  might  possibly  be  owing  partly  to  the 
engraver,  but  not  altogether.  Of  one  of  the  specimens  furnished 
by  the  Toronto  Institute,  Mr.  Boyle  says:  "It  is  an  unfinished 
specimen  and  is  valuable  chiefly  as  another  proof  that  the  Indians 
did  not  perforate  their  work  until  it  was  almost  or  wholly  fin 
ished.  This  specimen  eame  from  Kentucky.  Other  unfinished 
specimens  have  been  described  by  Col.  Charles  Whittlesey.  They 
were  specimens  from  Ohio.  Many  broken  specimens  have  been 
found  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  One  is  in  possession  of 
the  writer.  It  came  from  the  region  of  the  effigy  mounds.  It 
had  been  perforated  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that  it  had  been 
carried  as  a  charm  by  some  Indian,  who  was  perhaps  unconscious 
that  it  had  been  once  used  as  an  emblem  of  honor  or  as  a  badge 
or  mace.  These  rel 
ics  have  evidently 
come  down  to  us 
through  the  hands  of 
modern  Indians  from 
the  Mound-builders' 
period.  They  illus 
trate  very  clearly  the 
point  which  we  have 
in  mind.  The  Mound- 
builders'  period  was 
distinguished  for  the 
superiority  of  the 
native  art.  The 
modern  period  is  dis 
tinguished  for  the  Fig.35.— Monitor  Pipe,  Mound-Builder's. 

decline  of  the  native  art.  We  may  call  the  Mound-builders 
Indians,  but  the  difference  between  the  specimens  of  art  which 
have  come  down  to  us  from  the  Mound-builders  and  those  which 
have  been  found  in  the  hands  of  modern  Indians  prove  the  posi 
tion  which  we  have  taken.  The  term  "Mound-builders"  is  an 
appropriate  one,  for  it  suggests  a  stage  of  art  which  was  much 
superior  in  prehistoric  times  to  that  stage  which  is  exhibited  by 
the  historic  or  protohistoric  times.  One  of  two  things  is  proved 
by  them.  Either  the  hunter  Indians  who  have  come  in  and 
taken  the  place  of  the  preceding  tribes  were  a  much  ruder  class 
of  people  than  those  whom  we  call  Mound-builders,  or  the 
Mound-builders  have  very  much  degenerated  and  are  not  prop 
erly  represented  by  their  descendants,  whom  we  call  modern 
Indians.  This  is  all  that  we  care  to  substantiate.  We  think  that 
the  difference  between  the  modern  Indians  and  the  Mound-build 
ers  is  plainly  exhibited.  We  do  not  claim  for  the  Mound- 
builders  any  high  degree  of  civilization,  nor  do  we  claim  for  them 


292 

any  radical  race  distinction,  but  we  claim  for  them  a  superiority 
in  all  that  constitutes  aboriginal  art,  and  so  maintain  that  the 
term  Mound-builder  is  to  be  continued. 

6.  We  now  come  to  the  monitor  pipe.  The  difference  between 
the  Indian  and  the  Mound-builders'  relics  will  be  more  fully 
seen  in  these  than  in  any  other.  We  furnish  several  specimens 
of  the  pipes  (see  Figs.  32,  33,  34,  35),  which  may  be  said  to  be 
imitations  or  attempts  at  the  monitor  pipe,  from  the  Canadian 
collection.  It  will  be  noticed  that  they  are  exceedingly  rude. 
The  peculiarity  of  the  monitor  pipe  is  that  it  is  composed  of  one 
single  stone,  and  was  smoked  without  the  addition  of  a  stem;  it 
was  a  simple  specimen,  and  is  contrasted  with  the  compound 
specimens  which  were  common  among  the  Indians.  The  advan 
tage  of  having  a  simple  pipe  was  that  it  was  easily  placed  in  the 
medicine  bag,  where  it  was  out  of  the  way  and  yet  was  conve 
niently  present.  There  was  a  sacredness  about  the  pipe  which 
made  it  important  to  preserve  it.  The  pipes  of  the  modern 
Indians  do  not  seem  to  have  had  the  same  sacredness;  they  were 
commonly  carried  suspended  to  the  belt,  and  were  often  in  plain 
sight.  The  pipes  of  the  Eastern  Indians  seem  to  have  been, 
manp  of  them,  simple  specimens — that  is,  simple  as  contrasted 
with  compound  ones.  They  were,  however,  in  great  contrast 
with  the  Mound-builders'  pipes,  in  that  they  were  exceedingly 
rude.  It  is  possible  that  some  of  these  specimens  are  unfinished ; 
that  in  course  of  time  they  would  have  been  moulded  into  sym 
metrical  shapes,  and  yet  one  of  them  seems  to  have  been  designed 
for  the  insertion  of  a  stem,  and  so  would  be  called  compound;  it 
was  probably  Indian  We  present  one  specimen  of  the  Mound- 
builders'  pipe,  to  show  the  contrast.  It  is  a  portrait  pipe,  but  has 
the  typical  monitor  shape,  the  main  difference  being  that  the 
bowl  is  in  the  shape  of  a  human  head  instead  of  a  rimmed  cyl 
inder.  Monitor  pipes  were  very  common  among  the  Mound- 
builders,  especially  among  the  Mound-builders  of  Ohio.  They 
are  found  in  many  parts  of  Illinois,  and  are  numerous  in  the 
vicinity  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  though  the  characteristic  pipe  of 
that  regian  is  animal  shaped. 

This  closes  the  review.  We  think  enough  contrast  between 
the  Indian  and  the  Mound-builders'  relics  has  been  shown  to 
convince  any  one  that  two  classes  of  people  dwelt  upon  the  con 
tinent,  which  were  different  enough  in  their  art  products  for  us 
to  give  to  them  different  names,  and  so  we  cling  to  the  terms 
Mound-builders  and  Indian. 


THE  GKEST  TABLET  FKOM  OHIO. 


293 


CHAPTER  XV. 


SYMBOLISM  AMONG  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

The  study  of  symbolism  in  America  always  brings  up  a  great 
many  enquiries,  but  none  more  interesting  than  one  which  has 
relation  to  a  contact  with  Europe  in  prehistoric  times.  This  is, 
to  be  sure,  a  point  which  is  constantly  arising  in  connection  with 
all  departments  of  archaeology,  but  in  this  conuection  it  is 
especially  suggestive.  We  therefore  propose  to  speak  of  the 
phallic  symbol  as  it  is  found  in  this  country,  especially  among 
the  Mound-builders,  and  to  see  if  this  does  not  prove  a  pre- 
Columbian  contact  with  other  countries.  We  shall  not,  how 
ever,  confine  ourselves  to  this  one  symbol,  but  shall  take  it  in  its 
combination  with  other  symbols,  such  as  the  symbol  of  fire,  of 
the  sun,  of  the  serpent,  and  other  nature  powers. 

The  description  of  the  dolmens  and  menhirs  of  Western 
Europe,  which  was  given  a  year  or  two  ago  by  Mr.  Thomas  Wil 
son,  and  now  againby  Prof.  A.  S.  Pakacrd,  has  brought  up  the 
subject  afresh.  The  same  is  also  the  result  of  reading  about 
the  remarkable  find  on  the  Illinois  River.  The  question  is  how 
came  the  custom  of  making  offerings  to  fire  and^water,  and  other 
customs  in  America  ?  Shall  we  say  that  the  Druids  were  here 
during  pre-Columbian  times,  or  shall  we  go  farther  back  and 
ascribe  them  to  an  Asiatic  source  ? 

I.  We  begin  with  the  cup  stones  or  perforated  symbols.  It 
forms  one  of  the  standing  problems  for  American  archaeologists 
how  to  account  for  these.  These  cavities  have  been  studied  by 
various  parties  and  have  been  found  in  many  and  widely  sep 
arated  countries.  It  is  because  of  this  extensive  distribution 
that  they  have  been  regarded  as  important.  The  argument  is 
that  the  prevalence  of  them  in  America  proves  European  con 
tact  in  prehistoric  times.  The  argument  is  a  good  one,  provided 
we  assign  to  the  cavities  a  sacred  character,  and  recognize  them 
as  the  symbols  of  a  widespread  faith.  This  is,  however,  the 
point.  We  imagine  that  if  they  were  not  so  widely  distributed 
the  thought  of  their  symbol  character  would  never  have  arisen. 
The  shape  of  the  holes  suggests  a  very  simple  cause,  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  the  nut-cracking,  which  was  a  natural  thing 
for  the  natives  of  this  country.  The  discovery  of  so  many 
boulders  and  slabs,  filled  with  these  cavities,  in  Southern  Ohio, 
which  is  a  forest  region  abounding  with  all  kinds  of  nuts,  natur 
ally  suggests  that  this  was  the  source  of  the  cavities.  Perhaps 
we  should  say  that  the  question  is  a  faux  pas.  It  suggests  a 
mystery  when  no  mystery  exists.  Still,  as  various  authors_have 


294 

written  upon  the  subject  and  European  archaeologists,  as  well  as 
American,  have  regarded  them  as  symbolic,  we  take  up  the 
subject  in  all  candor.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  matter-of-fact  and 
careful  Dr.  Charles  Rau  thought  it  worth  his  while  to  write  a 
book  about  them,  and  to  recount  all  the  places  where  such  holes 
have  ever  been  seen.  From  this  book  we  learn  that  they  are 
scattered  over  the  continent  of  America,  being  very  common  in 
the  Mound-builders'  territory.  A  few  specimens  are  found  in 
the  region  of  the  Pueblos  and  on  the  rocks  of  California,  and 
one  specimen  has  been  discovered  near  Orizaba,  Mexico.  They 
are  also  numerous  in  France,  Brittany,  Ireland,  Switzerland, 
Saxony,  Sweden,  Scandinavia,  though  in  these  latter  countries 
they  are  attended  with  rings  and  loops  and  various  grooves  and 
channels,  as  if  a  special  use  had  been  made  of  them  and  strange 
superstitions  had  been  associated  with  them,  making  them  sacred 
symbols.  We  learn,  too,  that  the  same  works  are  numerous  in 
India,  and  that  in  that  country,  where  everything  seems  to  have 
a  symbolic  character,  they  are  regarded  with  peculiar  veneration, 
and  that  even  phallic  worship  has  been  associated  with  them  and 
the  symbol  of  the  Mahedeo  is  always  recognized  in  them. 

Now  the  point  which  we  make  is  this,  if  we  must  associate  so 
great  a  significance  with  so  simple  an  object  as  a  cavity,  which 
seems  to  have  been  used  for  nut-cracking,  then  we  shall  conclude 
that  the  evidences  of  contact  with  older  countries  during  prehis 
toric  times  are  very  common.  We  can  imagine  the  practice  to 
have  prevailed  among  a  rude  people  of  making  a  very  common 
thing  to  seem  uncommon.  The  very  tools  and  weapons  and 
ornaments  which  they  had  might  become  the  embodiment  of 
strange  superstitions,  and  even  feathers  and  sticks  might  be  ex 
pressive.  Perhaps  there  was  the  addition  of  a  myth  or  of  a 
transmitted  custom,  and  this  would  account  for  the  unusual 
shapes  and  combinations  by  which  these  cavities  are  sometimes 
characterized.  Still  there  are  figures  on  the  Bald  Friar's  Rock, 
in  Pennsylvania  which  resemble  serpents,  the  eyes  being  cup 
cavities  or  perforations,  the  heads  only  being  visible.  In  these 
heads  we  recognize  the  jew's-harp  pattern,  and  so  we  have  in 
America,  as  in  India,  not  only  serpent  worship  but  possibly  the 
phallic  symbol,  with  all  of  its  conventionalities.  We  are  not 
disposed  to  minimize  the  significance  of  these  symbols,  and  yet  we 
should  make  a  distinction  between  a  practical  and  a  symbolic  use. 

We  find  that  the  symbols  are  quite  widely  distributed  in 
America,  as  widely  as  they  are  in  Europe,  and  are  sometimes 
found  connected  with  the  cremation  of  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  as 
they  are  in  foreign  lands,  and  are  also  associated  with  altar 
mounds.  It  is  also  noticeable  that  animal  figures,  human  faces 
and  forms,  and  sun  symbols,  as  well  as  serpent  heads,  are 
associated  with  the  perforated  cavities.  Dr.  Charles  Rau  has 
referred  to  the  bird  symbol  found  in  the  San  Pete  Valley  of 


295 

Utah  and  the  peculiar  figures  found  among  the  rock  paintings  in 
Lake  County,  Oregon,  and  to  the  human  and  animal  figures  on 
the  sculptured  boulders  in  Arizona.  These  may  all  have  been 
symbolic,  and  it  is  possible  that  a  common  symbolism  has  spread 
over  this  entire  continent,  either  from  the  east  or  west,  and  that 
the  connection  may  be  traced  even  as  far  away  as  India.  Still 
we  think  that  a  distinction  should  be  drawn,  and  that  the  Ameri 
can  symbols  should  be  left  to  themselves  until  it  can  be  proved 
that  they  were  transmitted  from  other  lands, 

The  positions  of  these  cup  marks  are,  to  be  sure,  sometimes 
significant,  and  the  association  with  various  pictures  is  sugges 
tive.  For  instance,  there  is  a  picture  of  a  Scandinavian  boat 
which  reminds  us  of  the  Norse  sea-kings,  and  a  picture  of  battle 
axes  and  a  pyramidal  stele  in  the  Kivik  monument  in  Scania, 
Sweden.  So  there  are  many  cup  cavities  in  the  roofs  of  dolmens 
in  France,  and  Prof.  A.  S.  Packard  has  declared  that  these  must 
be  symbolic.  So  there  are  peculiar  figures  resembling  Runic 
letters  on  the  Bald  Friar's  Rock  in  this  country.  There  are  re 
markable  coincidences  also  in  the  shapes  of  the  rings  surround 
ing  the  cavities  which  are  found  in  Denmark  and  Sweden  and  in 
this  country.  Some  would  make  them  symbols  of  the  sun,  and 
would  prove  a  contact  with  European  nations  or  else  a  remarka 
ble  parallel  development.  Some  would  also  consider  the  Dighton 
Rock  as  still  more  conclusive,  but  this  rock  Dr.  Rau  is  especially 
skeptical  about,  taking  the  position  that  it  was  only  fabricated 
by  ordinary  Indians.  It  seems  to  make  a  complication  with  our 
system  if  there  are  resemblances  to  Old  World  forms  in  America. 
Which  shall  we  do?  Shall  we  take  the  simple  facts  and  be  satisfied 
with  these,  or  shall  we  recognize  evidence  of  foreign  contact  in 
them  ?  We  have  seen  these  perforations  on  various  stones,  but 
have  not  recognized  anything  symbolic  in  either  the  shapes  or 
locations  or  relative  positions  of  the  holes.  At  onetime  we  dis 
covered  a  small  stone  slab,  burned  and  smoked,  near  the  altar  of 
the  celebrated  alligator  effigy  in  Ohio,  the  proximity  suggesting 
that  it  was  once  on  the  altar.  This  was  perforated  with  a  cup 
cavity,  and  may  have  been  designed  as  a  symbol.  Still  other 
stones,  with  similar  cup-shaped  cavities,  are  found  in  many 
places.  We  saw  one  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  at  the  steamboat 
landing  at  Maysville,  Ky.,  a  place  which  was  not  suggestive  of 
anything  sacred.  We  also  at  one  time  examined  the  great 
boulder  which  was  taken  from  the  bank  of  the  Ohio  near  Iron- 
ton,  and  given  by  Dr.  H.  H.  Hill  to  the  Natural  History  Society 
of  Cincinnati,  and  were  told  that  there  were  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  of  these  perforations  on  this  single  boulder.  Similar 
stones  have  been  found  in  Summit  County,  O.,  at  Portsmouth  and 
Graveport,O.,and  at  various  places  in  Pennsylvania  and  Tennessee, 
and  the  impression  is  that  they  were  used  for  nut-cracking. 

The  boulder  at  Cincinnati  has  certain  grooves  on  its  surface, 

' 


m/ 

W  ITT 


296 

four  or  five  inches  long,  which  have  the  appearance  of  being 
worn  by  continuous  rubbing.  But  about  these  we  enquire,  in 
what  respect  do  they  differ  Irom  the  marks  made  by  arrow  sharp 
ening,  which  are  so  common  throughout  the  country.  Beau- 
champ  has  described  such  works  as  being  common  in  New  York 
and  Gen.  Thruston  in  his  new  book  has  spoken  of  others  in 
Tennessee,  and  has  given  a  cut  representing  the  same,  but  they 
seem  very  simple  things,  and  we  do  not  see  that  any  symbolism 
can  possibly  be  made  out  of  them. 

Col.  Charles  Whittlesy  thought  that  the  perforations  were 
made  by  spindles,  and  that  they  were  evidences  of  the  domestic 
art  of  spinning  and  weaving.  Others  have  taken  the  ground 
that  some  of  them  were  used  for  paint  cups,  especially  as  pestle 
and  mortars  have  been  found  in  New  Mexico  with  the  cup  mark 
in  the  pestle.  The  explanation  is  that  the  paint,  which  had  been 
ground,  was  placed  in  the  cavity  while  the  process  of  grinding 
other  paint  went  on.  How  could  symbolic  significance  come  to 
such  simple  objects?  We  suggest  the  following:  It  is  possible 
that  the  women,  who  so  frequently  have  left  the  marks  of  their 
handiwork,  may  have  used  the  cavities  as  signs,  giving  them  the 
hidden  significance  which  would  be  expressive  oi  certain  sexual 
desires.  We  are  aware  that  the  bird  amulets  and  other  objects  ol 
personal  decoration  were  symbols  of  maternity  with  the  aborigines. 
The  spool  ornament  was  also  made  symbolic  of  some  more 
spiritual  desire,  and  the  axe,  especially  when  made  of  jade,  was 
symbolic  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  superstition  requiring 
that  bits  of  jade  should  be  placed  in  the  mouth  of  the  dead.  It 
is  a  practice  with  women  in  India  to  take  water  out  of  the  Ganges 
and  pour  over  the  cavities  and  the  channels  surrounding  them, 
as  they  believe  maternity  will  be  the  result.  Another  explanation 
is  that  they  were  sockets  where  they  placed  the  end  of  the  fire 
generator,  and  so  came  to  consider  the  cavities  as  sacred  to  fire 
and  having  a  peculiar  significance.  If  they  are,  then  we  should 
say  that  they  form  only  another  link  in  the  chain  connecting  this 
country  with  the  far  east,  proving  not  only  that  serpent  worship, 
but  phallic  worship  and  fire  worship  and  sun  worship  were  all 
connected  and  prevailed  on  this  continent  in  prehistoric  times. 

II.  This  point  has  been  impressed  upon  us  by  recent  discoveries. 
We  now  refer  to  the  discovery  which  we  made  in  connection 
with  the  great  serpent  effigy  near  Quincy,  Illinois.  This  serpent 
is  a  massive  effigy,  which  conforms  to  the  bluff  throughout  its 
entire  length.  Its  folds  are  brought  out  very  forcibly  by  four 
conical  burial  mounds  located  near  the  center  of  the  ridge,  mid 
way  between  the  head  and  tail  of  the  serpent.  The  mounds 
contained  many  bodies,  none  of  them  remarkable  except  the  one 
which  was  cremated  at  the  base  of  the  mound.  This  was  a  large 
body.  It  was  lying  on  its  back,  and  was  partially  burned.  The 
bones,  however,  were  preserved,  and  what  was  the  most  singular 


297 

about  the  case,  on  the  very  center  of  the  body,  near  the  secret 
parts,  a  skeleton  of  a  serpent  was  found  coiled  up,  as  if  there 
was  an  intention  to  make  it  significant.  The  hands  were  folded 
over  the  body  just  below  this  skeleton.  The  body  had  its  feet 
to  the  east,  and  its  face  was  turned  upward,  as  if  to  look  toward 
the  sun.  Thus  we  have  in  this  cremation  scene  both  the  phallic 
symbolic  and  the  serpent  effigy,  and  we  have  at  the  same  time 
some  evidence  of  sun  worship.  But  there  was  another  feature 
still  more  remarkable.  It  was  noticed  that  there  were  several 
bodies  lying  parallel  with  the  central  one,  and  that  these  bodies 
had  been  burned.  The  fire-bed  was  about  twelve  feet  across,  and 
contained  the  remains  of  at  least  four  bodies,  all  of  them  par 
tially  burned,  all  of  them  cremated  and  apparently  with  the  faces 
looking  upward.  There  were  also  skeletons  of  snakes  found 
with  the  bodies,  though  the  position  of  the  snakes  was  not  closely 
observed.  Now  the  point  that  we  make  is,  if  there  was  phallic 
worship  at  all,  it  was  also  attended  with  the  eastern  custom  of 
suttee  burning.  We  learn  from  the  early  explorers  that  at  the 
south  the  fashion  was  to  kill  the  slaves  and  wife  of  a  chief  when 
he  died  and  to  burn  the  bodies  with  the  body  of  the  chief.  If 
this  was  the  case  among  the  southern  tribes,  it  may  also  have 
been  the  fashion  with  this  northern  tribe.  These,  we  think,  are 
important  facts.  While  everything  in  this  Quincy  find  was 
very  rude — no  relics,  no  paved  altar,  no  elaborate  contrivance 
further  than  the  effigy  itself — still  the  cremation  was  remarka 
ble.  We  acknowledge  that  there  are  many  things  in  connection 
with  all  the  Mound-builders'  burials  which  are  of  purely  native 
origin.  Yet  if  the  phallic  symbol  is  to  be  seen  in  one  case  it  is 
also  in  many,  and,  what  is  more,  it  is  also  almost  always  con 
nected  with  the  serpent  symbol. 

It  is  strange  that  here  in  America  native  superstition  seized 
upon  the  most  familiar  objects,  such  as  arrow-heads,  spear-heads, 
leaf-shaped  implements,  pieces  of  mica,  or  even  pebbles  and 
round  stones,  and  made  of  these  altars  which  should  be  symbolic 
of  sun  worship;  but  it  is  stranger  still  that  native  superstition 
should  at  times  give  evidence  of  contact  with  the  more  advanced 
fashions  and  customs  of  countries  which  have  long  been  historic 
and  that  the  two  systems  of  symbols  should  be  so  near  to  one 
another.  The  find  at  Virginia  City,  in  Illinois,  reminds  us  of 
similar  deposits  in  Ohio.  It  was  a  simple  altar  or  artificial  heap 
formed  out  ot  leaf-shaped  relics,  the  specimens  all  having  come 
probably  from  Flint  Ridge,  but  here  were  used  as  the  resting 
place  of  the  dead.  There  was,  however,  a  mica  cresent  on  the 
breast  and  copper  spools  near  the  head  and  stone  weapons  near 
the  hands.  Everything  about  the  find  showed  a  very  rude  state 
of  art,  and  yet  showed  a  strange  and  conventional  symbolism. 
The  same  is  true  also  of  the  various  altar  and  burial  mounds  of 
Ohio.  Here  in  one  place  were  altars  composed  of  similar  flint 


298 

relics,  chipped  into  leaf-shape,  and  deposited  'in  two  layers,  one 
above  the  other,  the  entire  heap  having  been  used  as  a  platform 
on  which  immense  numbers  of  relics  had  been  placed,  but  no 
other  relics.  In  another  place,  at  Mound  City,  mica  plates  are 
laid  like  scales,  one  against  the  other,  the  whole  deposit  having 
made  a  remarkable  crescent,  which  might  be  supposed  to  have 
glistened  with  the  silvery  radiance  of  the  moon.  This  crescent 
was  situated  at  the  bottom  of  the  largest  mound  in  the  group 
found  at  Mound  City,  and  was  itself  placed  above  a  layer  of  clay, 
four  layers  above  it  composed  of  sand,  the  whole  being  very 
hard  and  compact.  The  mound  itself  was  17  feet  high  and  go 
feet  in  diameter,  and  overtopped  all  the  rest.  The  symbolism 
consisted  in  the  crescent,  which  was  19  down  and  19  feet  across 
from  horn  to  horn,  the  greatest  width  being  about  5  feet. 

Still  the  two  altars — the  one  formed  of  leaf-shaped  implements 
and  the  other  containing  the  crescent — were  very  large,  and  it 
is  supposed  that  both  deposits  were  equally  sacred  among  this 
mysterious  people.  In  the  Ohio  mounds  were  other  altars,  on 
which  many  valuable  relics  had  been  placed.  At  the  fort  on  the 
north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  where  the  leaf-shaped  flints  were 
placed,  a  large  number  of  pipes  had  been  offered,  and  among  the 
pipes  were  some  in  the  shape  of  serpents,  the  very  symbol  of  the 
Mahedeo  being  suggested  by  one  of  them.  This  coiled  snake 
may  indeed  have  been  a  mere  mythologic  object,  embodying  one 
of  the  myths  which  have  survived  to  modern  times.  Still  the 
presence  of  the  serpent  effigy  with  the  other  features  would 
indicate  that  phallic  worship  had  been  observed.  The  clay  was  at 
the  bottom  of  these  altars,  and  sand  layers  above  just  as  clay 
was  beneath  the  flint  deposit  in  Illinois.  So  there  was  a  fire-bed 
of  black  soil  beneath  the  cremated  bodies  and  white  soil  above, 
the  evidence  of  a  studied  design  given  in  both  cases.  There 
are,  to  be  sure,  no  two  altars  alike  and  no  conventional  or  stere 
otyped  mode  of  burial  in  the  mounds,  yet  with  the  variety  the 
uniformity  is  apparent,  the  uniformity  being  always  confined  to 
the  symbol,  but  the  diversity  coming  out  in  the  mode  of  burial 
and  the  articles  deposited.  This  is  also  one  of  the  strange  fea 
tures  of  the  Mound-builders'  religion.  They  seem  to  have  been 
saturated  with  superstition.  It  was  almost  childish  in  its  sim 
plicity,  for  it  seized  upon  the  most  trifling  things  to  express 
itself;  it  was  also  held  under  the  control  of  a  fixed  and  formal 
symbolism,  which  constantly  reminds  one  of  foreign  customs. 
Stately  ceremonies  resembling  those  of  Druidic  worship  were 
associated  with  the  trifling  details  of  a  savage  people.  The  in 
ference  is  that  human  sacrifices  were  made,  and  that  burials  of 
an  extraordinary  character  were  practiced  in  certain  cases,  but 
in  other  cases  the  commonest  things  seem  to  have  been  laid 
away  as  if  with  all  the  care  of  the  most  sacred  treasure.  We 
are  puzzled  by  these  deposits,  and  yet  we  recognize  a  strange 


299 

symbolism  in  them  all.  The  great  serpent  in  Ohio  is  only  such 
an  effigy  as  perhaps  any  superstitious  savage  might  possibly  de 
vise;  nothing  conventional  or  foreign  about  its  shape,  but  when 
we  come  to  the  oval  and  the  altar  in  the  oval,  we  are  at  once 
reminded  of  the  phallic  symbol  and  the  offering  to  the  fire  divin 
ity  of  the  east.  So,  too,  the  serpent  effigy  in  Illinois  seems  like 
a  very  rude  semblance  of  a  massive  snake.  Its  shape  conforms 
to  the  bluff  in  every  part.  It  seems  only  an  effigy,  but  when  we 
compare  its  double  bend  to  the  curve  of  the  Hindu  fire  generator 
and  to  count  the  number  four  in  the  mounds  on  its  summit,  and 
see  the  contents  as  they  are,  it  seems  as  if  the  same  latent  sym 
bolism  was  strangely  present,  and  so  it  is  everywhere.  Superstition 
degenerated  or  advanced,  one  of  the  two.  Symbolism,  too,  was 
either  gradually  lost,  being  merged  into  the  totem  system  of  the 
hunter  races,  or  it  grew  up  under  the  same  races  and  became-a 
complicated  system,  very  like  the  sun  symbols  of  other  countries. 
The  resemblance  may  have  been  accidental,  but  the  impression 
is  growing  that  the  symbolism  was  not  a  native  growth,  but  was 
introduced  from  some  other  land. 

III.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  cremation  was  in  Europe  dis 
tinctive  of  the  bronze  age,  and  was  comparatively  unknown  in  the 
neolithic  age.  We  are  also  to  remember  that  the  phallic  symbol 
was  very  common  during  that  age,  so  common  that  many  think 
it  was  introduced  into  the  north  of  Europe  by  the  Phoenicians, 
who  took  long  voyages  for  the  sake  of  finding  tin.  The  Druids 
also  are  supposed  to  have  cremated  bodies,  and  to  them  have 
been  ascribed  the  horse-shoe  symbols  which  are  still  recognized 
in  those  celebrated  temples  formed  from  standing  stones.  With 
the  Druids,  fire  worship,  sun  worship,  serpent  worship  and  phal 
lic  worship  formed  a  complicated  system,  which  stamped  itself 
upon  the  megalithic  monuments  of  the  land.  The  discovery  of 
these  various  forms  of  superstition  in  the  American  continent 
suggests  to  us  the  possibility  of  a  transmission  of  the  same  com 
plicated  cultus  to  the  western  coasts  of  the  great  sea.  This  is 
an  important  fact.  Was  it  owing  to  the  extension  of  the  Phce 
nician  voyages  or  to  the  zeal  of  Druidic  priests  that  these  things 
were  introduced?  The  contact  seemed  to  have  produced  a  mar 
vellous  effect.  It  was  not  a  decline  from  the  bronze  age  which 
we  see  in  these  familiar  symbols,  but  the  effect  of  contact  with 
European  voyagers  in  pre-Columbian  times,  pre-Columbian  dis 
covery  in  fact.  The  conclusion  is  startling,  but  this  is  the  only 
way  that  we  can  account  for  the  marvellous  resemblances.  Cer 
tainly  no  ordinary  nature  worship  could  produce  a  cultus  which 
would  combine  all  the  elements  of  the  eastern  faiths — Druidic, 
Phoenician,  Hittite,  all  in  one,  nor  could  the  law  of  growth  ac 
count  for  the  details  as  they  are  seen.  Parallel  development 
might  indeed  result  in  the  prevalence  of  animal  worship  among 
the  hunter  races,  of  sun  worship  among  the  agricultural  races, 


300 

possibly  of  serpent  worship;  but  when  all  of  these  are  combined 
and  made  expressive  of  a  strange  esoteric  system,  with  the  mys 
tic  significance  of  the  sun  symbol  as  the  source  of  life,  we  are 
led  to  say  that  something  else  must'be  brought  in  to  account  for 
the  phenomena.  Phallic  worship  is  not  a  simple  cult  which 
might  be  introduced  anywhere,  nor  is  it  to  be  expected  that  the 
worship  of  fire,  or  of  the  sun,  or  the  serpent,  would  all  come  from 
natural  causes.  There  might  be  a  decline  from  a  previous  ad 
vanced  condition.  The  bronze  age  might  sink  back  into  the  stone 
age.  The  absence  of  tin  might  result  in  the  substitution  of  cop 
per  for  the  bronze,  and  the  change  go  on  until  savage  hunters  are 
seen  carrying  about  with  them  strange  reminders  of  their  pre 
vious  condition;  but  we  cannot  see  how  the  process  of  growth 
could  bring  together  on  the  American  tree  the  varied  fruit  of  the 
eastern  climes  or  place  its  many  symbols  in  these  western  lands. 
The  custom  of  keeping  alive  the  sacred  fire  was  common  among 
the  southern  tribes.  With  them  the  sun  was  the  great  divinity. 
Idolatry,  of  a  primitive  kind,  also  prevailed  among  them.  They 
built  pyramids  of  earth,  and  placed  their  idols  in  niches  on  the 
sides  of  those  pyramids,  with  their  faces  towards  the  four  points 
of  the  sky.  They  kept  their  dead  in  sacred  charnel  houses,  and 
placed  images  near  by  to  watch  the  remains  or  to  receive  the 
spirits  as  they  returned,  reminding  us  of  Egyptian  customs. 

The  Mound-builder's  cult  was  as  strange  as  this.  Here  we 
see  the  pipes  offered  to  the  sun,  but  the  pipes  are  covered  with 
animal  figures,  suggestive  of  animal  worship  or  totemism.  Here 
also  we  see  the  serpent  effigy,  everything  about  it  expressive  of 
a  still  higher  cult,  namely,  the  worship  of  fire  or  the  sun.  Here 
we  see  the  sun  circle  and  the  crescent,  showing  that  sun  worship 
was  very  prevalent.  Here  we  see  the  phallic  symbol,  a  marvel 
lous  cult,  holding  its  sway  over  a  united  people,  Southern  Ohio 
being  its  chief  seat  of  power.  Everything  of  value  which  was 
ever  offered  to  the  sun  was  subject  to  the  action  of  the  sacred 
flame.  Here  we  see  the  horse-shoe  symbol  in  the  mounds  and 
the  phallic  symbol  in  the  serpent  pipes.  And  with  all  this  com 
plicated  symbolism  we  learn  that  the  bodies  were  cremated 
exactly  as  they  were  on  Druidic  altars,  though  the  flames  are 
smoothered  beneath  the  layers  of  the  sacred  soil.  Surely  it  is 
mysterious.  Could  the  Mound-builders  have  invented  all  this, 
and  established  their  system  over  so  great  a  territory,  brought 
so  many  strange  conceptions  into  their  worship,  unless  they 
had  received  from  some  source  a  cult  which  was  not  indigenous 
to  the  continent.  It  is  said  by  some  that  they  were  nothing 
more  and  nothing  less  than  the  ancestors  of  the  present  race  of 
Indians,  but  by  others  that  they  were  gifted  with  great  intelli 
gence;  but  whichever  way  we  look  at  them,  it  does  seem  that 
they  could  not  have  had  such  a  marvellous  symbolism  unless 
there  had  been  among  them  some  one  from  another  continent. 


301 


Fig.  l.—Rock  in  Arizona,  with  Phallic  and  Fire  and  Serpent  Symbols. 


Fig.  2.— Inscribed  Shells  with  Fire  Generators  or  Suastikas  from  Tennessee. 


302 

IV.  We  now  come  to  the  conventionalized  figures  which 
are  so  common  in  this  country,  as  well  as  in  various  parts  of 
Europe  and  Asia.  These  figures  are  seen  mainly  on  the  shell 
gorgets  and  inscribed  tablets,  and  yet  they  represent  the  same 
symbols  which  are  seen  in  the  earth-works.*  The  tablets  and  shell 
gorgets  are  more  numerous  among  those  works  which  are  sup 
posed  to  have  been  built  by  sun-worshipers — namely,  those  found 
in  Southern  Ohio,  in  Southern  Illinois,  in  Middle  Tennessee  and 
in  the  Gulf  States.  In  these  regions  cremation  was  practiced 
extensively,  altars  or  fire-beds  having  been  built  in  connection 
with  the  various  effigies  or  in  the  midst  of  the  circles  and  other 
symbolic  earth-works.  This  correspondence  between  the  shapes 
of  the  earth-works  and  the  figures  on  the  tablets  and  gorgets  is, 
to  be  sure,  a  general  one,  and  yet  it  shows  that  a  very  compli 
cated  symbolism  prevailed  everywhere,  and  that  this  symbolism 
was  embodied  in  various  ways.  We  do  not  pretend  to  say 
where  this  symbolism  came  from,  and  yet  when  we  consider  its 
complication  and  the  many  evidences  of  design  in  it,  we  are  con 
vinced  that  it  was  not  a  mere  rude  imitation  nor  yet  a  work  of 
fancy,  but  wa  s  the  result  of  a  system  which  was  both  occult  and 
mysterious. 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  shell  gorgets  contain  all  the  symbols 
which  ever  prevailed  at  the  east — the  serpent,  the  cross,  the 
crescent,  the  suastika,  the  tree,  the  horse-shoe,  the  loop,  the  owl's 
face,  the  bird's  head,  the  human  face,  the  human  form  and  even 
the  symbolic  tree  or  sacred  grove,  all  being  plainly  marked  and 
carefully  wrought.  The  impression  formed  from  the  study  of 
these  conventionalized  figures  is  that  they  must  have  been  intro 
duced  into  this  country  from  some  other  continent,  and  that  one 
esoteric  system  of  religion  prevailed  here,  its  occult  mysteries 
being  understood  by  the  priests  or  medicine  men  and  by  them 
transmitted  from  generation  to  generation  and  carried  to  the 
difTerent  tribes  and  races,  We  now  proceed  to  a  description  of 
these  tablets,  but  would  first  call  attention  to  some  new  localities 
where  tablets  have  been  discovered.  There  are  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi  River  three  different  classes  of  structures,  show 
ing  that  three  different  forms  of  worship  or  of  superstition 
prevailed,  and  giving  indications  also  that  three  difTerent  races 
of  people  formerly  occupied  the  territory.  These  classes  are 
as  follows :  First,  the  animal  effigies  which  are  found  in  Wis 
consin  and  in  the  upper  part  of  the  great  valley.  Second,  the 
great  serpent  whose  form  is  occasionally  seen  on  the  bluffs  in 
the  central  part  of  Illinois,  mingled  with  the  burial  mounds, 
which  are  so  numerous.  Third,  the  pyramid  mounds,  the  largest 
specimen  of  which  may  be  seen  at  Cahokia  creek  opposite  to  St. 
Louis.  These  three  classes  of  mounds  the  writer  has  had  the 

•For  earth- works  in  shape  of  serpents,  see  Native  American  Symbolism,  Chapters 

III  and  IV,  Fitrs.  •_'.;,  IM  nii/JT,  Hi,  17;   in  shape  of  circles  and  squares,  crescents  and 
horse-shoes,  Chap.  VI,  Figs.  1,  2,  4, 5,  6,  7,  8,  9, 19;  in  shape  of  cross,  Chap.  VII,  *  ig.  10. 


303 


Fig.  S.—Cahokia  Tablet.— Reverse. 


Fig,  it.—dahokia  Tablet 


304 

opportunity  of  studying,  and  in  connection  with  the  last  two- 
has  recently  made  some  important  discoveries. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  serpent  effigy  situated  on  the  bluffs 
just  above  Quincy  is  not  altogether  a  solitary  and  single  speci 
men,  but  there  are  evidences  that  the  serpent  worshipers 
inhabited  a  wide  region  and  frequently  placed  the  tokens  of  their 
presence  on  the  high  bluffs  which  border  the  river,  especially 
upon  the  Illinois  side.  The  mounds,  which  are  very  numerous 
and  which  mark  their  presence  on  the  landscape,  are,  to  be  sure, 
not  often  in  the  shape  of  serpents,  and  yet  they  are  frequently 
arranged  in  long  rows,  near  to  one  another,  and  are  practically 
conformed  to  every  turn  or  twist  of  the  bluff,  so  as  to  give  rise  to 
the  idea  that  the  serpent  was  in  mind  when  they  were  erected. 
This  peculiarity  of  the  burial  mounds  seems  to' be  intensified  as 
one  goes  southward,  and  at  one  point — near  Rockport,  in  Pike 
county — becomes  so  striking  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  imagine 
the  serpent  effigy  to  be  everywhere  present.  There  is  here  a 
series  of  high  rocky  bluffs,  and  on  the  bluffs  many  large  conical 
mounds,  these  mounds  being  frequently  connected  with  long, 
low  tortuous  walls,  which  form  the  very  spine  of  the  narrow 
bluffs,  making  it  difficult  to  determine  which  part  is  artificial 
and  which  is  the  natural  part  of  the  ridge.  The  writer  found 
several  such  groups  or  series  in  the  space  of  five  miles,  some  of 
the  groups  containing  fifteen  and  twenty  conical  mounds  with 
narrow  connecting  ridges — all  of  them  situated  on  the  highest 
point  and  made  conspicuous  objects  in  the  landscape.  At  one 
place  a  series  of  conical  mounds  began  at  one  end  of  the  bluff 
and  continued  to  the  other,  each  conical  mound  growing  less  in 
height  and  size,  and  the  connecting  ridge  jiarrower  and  more 
tortuous  until  it  disappeared,  the  whole  series  resembling  a  huge 
and  tortuous  snake,  whose  head  was  lifted  high  above  the 
precipice,  but  whose  body  stretched  along  the  whole  length  and 
whose  tail  terminated  with  the  end  of  the  bluff. 

These  semblances  are  not  altogether  imaginary,  for  the  writer 
has  passed  over  them  a^ain  and  again,  and  has  been  impressed 
with  the  peculiar  situation  of  each,  and  especially  with  the  con 
formation  of  each  to  the  very  shape  and  twist  of  the  bluffs  on. 
which  they  are  placed,  and  has  become  convinced  that  this  was 
the  superstition  which  embodied  itself  in  the  region.  It  was  an 
animistic  faith  which  thus  peopled  every  bluff  with  the  spirit  of 
the  animal  which  it  resembled,  but  it  was  a  modified  animism 
which  here  only  recognized  the  one  resemblance — that  which  is 
made  to  represent  the  guardian  divinity  of  the  region,  the  totem 
of  the  people  and  the  great  serpent  of  tradition. 

This  was  undoubtedly  the  spirit  under  whose  protection  their 
graves  were  placed  and  their  villages  were  built;  the  divinity 
whose  shadow  was  always  present  and  whose  power  was 
always  felt. 


Plate  III.— Inscribed  Shells  from  Tennessee.— Serpent  and  Human  Effigies. 


306 

The  second  find  was  different  from  the  one  which  we  have 
described,  and  one  which  introduces  us  to  a  very  different  class. 
We  now  pass  out  from  the  domain  of  serpent  worshipers  into  the 
midst  of  the  works  of  the  sun  worshipers.  We  are  near  the 
great  Cahokia  mound,  which  lifts  its  head  so  high  above  the 
valley,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  numerous  pyramids  and  platforms 
and  conical  mounds  which  marked  this  great  settlement  of  the 
sun  worshipers.  It  is  a  very  little  relic  which  we  see  here 
before  us,  an  insignificant  piece  of  coarse  sand  stone,  a  mere 
fragment  and  apparently  worthless;  yet  there  are  certain  figures 
upon  it,  and  it  may  prove  significant.  What  do  we  see  here? 
This  fragment  \vhich  was  plowed  up  in  a  field  near  this  mound 
deserves  our  study.  See  Figs.  3  and  4. 

It  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Ramey,  the  owner  of  the 
mound.  This  tablet  is  only  two  inches  wide  and  three  inches 
long,  and  is  a  very  rude-looking  piece  of  stone,  but  it  has 
some  very  remarkable  figures  on  it,  figures  which  may  yet  prove 
to  be  of  great  service  in  solving  some  of  the  dark  problems  of 
American  archaeology.  It  is  well  known  that  the  great  Cahokia 
mound  is  regarded  as  the  work  of  a  people  who  resembled  in 
many  points  the  pyramid-builders  of  Georgia  and  Alabama  and 
Mississippi.  It  is  also  well  known  that  these  Georgia  mounds 
have  lately  yielded  from  their  lowest  depths  tablets  of  a  remark 
able  symbolic  character — human  figures  with  bird's  heads  and 
with  large  wings  extending  from  their  shoulders,  being  the  most 
noticeable  in  several  of  them.  The  tablet  which  we  have  the 
privilege  of  describing,  also  contains  two  human  figures  and 
two  figures  of  birds'  heads,  but  the  birds'  heads  and  the  faces 
are  separate  from  one  another.  The  tablet  had  been  broken,  and 
only  the  half  has  been  found.  This  half  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  the  parts  on  one  side  containing  birds'  heads,  and  on 
the  other  side  human  faces.  There  is  a  band  running  length 
wise  of  the  tablet  and  a  cross  band  near  the  broken  edge, 
showing  that  the  other  half  was  also  in  all  probability  divided 
in  the  same  way,  and  so  there  may  have  been  four  figures  of 
birds  and  four  faces,  instead  of  two,  the  number  four  being 
significant  here  as  in  all  other  symbols  of  the  sun  worshipers. 
The  bands  which  form  the  half  of  a  cross  are  full  of  small 
circles,  sun  symbols,  the  conventional  dot  in  the  center  of  each 
circle,  and  cross  lines  separating  the  circles.  The  birds'  heads 
have  the  conventional  shape  which  is  common  in  the  southern 
tablets,  the  sharp  pinnated  feathers  above  the  head,  the  mouth 
open  as  if  in  conflict,  as  usual;  but  on  this  tablet  the  bird 
seems  to  have  a  tongue  which  extends  beyond  the  bill  and 
curves  around  above  the  beak,  ending  in  a  peculiar  scroll  or 
circle  which  reminds  one  of  the  sign  of  speech  in  the  Aztec 
pictures  and  codices.  The  human  faces  are  on  the  reverse  side  of 
the  tablet.  They  are  also  separated  from  one  another  by  a  band 


307 

g 

with  circles  or  holes,  but  are  looking  away  from  one  another 
instead  of  toward  one  another  as  the  birds  are.  Each  face  has 
a  lozenge-shaped  eye,  a  beaked  or  sharp  rounded  nose,  a  low, 
retreating  forehead,  the  forehead  being  partly  hidden  by  a  sort 
of  turreted  crown  or  head-dress,  from  which  the  usual  pendants 
or  tassels  seem  to  fall.  The  features  of  these  images  are  peculiar, 
resembling  those  which  are  sometimes  seen  among  the  Aztecs. 
The  mouth  of  each  is  wide  open,  and  from  the  mouth  a  very 
singular  symbol  seems  to  project.  This  symbol  could  not  very 
easily  be  made  out  on  account  of  the  worn  condition  of  the 
tablet,  but  it  resembled  a  horse-shoe,  and  was  at  once  suggestive 
of  the  phallic  symbol.  We  do  not  state  this  positively,  but  if 
this  is  the  case,  we  regard  the  tablet  as  one  of  the  most  remark 
able  which  has  been  fcund  in  this  country.  It  is  well  known 
that  the  horse-shoe  was  originally  a  symbol  of  the  generative 
organ;  but  in  India  it  came  to  assume  an  entirely  conventional 
shape  and  finally  gained  an  esoteric  significance  which  was  very 
remote  from  the  original  sexual  idea.  It  became,  in  fact  a 
symbol  for  the  "principle  of  life,"  and  might  be  supposed  to 
stand  for  the  "breath,"  and  so  for  the  "soul,"  which  is  supposed 
to  have  dwelt  in  the  breath.  It  is  known  that  in  Mexico  at 
times  pieces  of  jade  are  found  in  the  mouths  of  the  dead,  it 
being  a  superstition  that  the  jade  might  receive  the  soul,  and  so 
perpetuate  the  spirit  of  the  individual.  We  do  not  say  that  this 
or  any  such  superstition  was  embodied  in  this  symbolic  tablet, 
and  yet  we  throw  out  the  suggestion  and  ask  others  to  examine 
the  tablet  with  this  thought  in  mind. 

It  should  be  said  here  that  the  land  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  Cahokia  mound  is  full  of  bones,  and  a  vast  multitude 
seems  to  have  been  buried  here  first  and  last.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  the  builders  of  this  mound  were  sun  worshipers,  and  that 
they  had  the  usual  symbolism  of  sun  worship,  though  where 
that  symbolism  came  from  no  one  at  present  can  tell.  Still,  if 
the  tablet  should  prove  to  be  as  significant  as  it  seems  to  be,  we 
should  conclude  that  that  symbolism  must  have  come  from  some 
other  continent,  and  that  we  have  in  it  another  evidence  of  con 
tact  with  the  people  which  once  filled  the  far  east  with  this  strange 
cult  and  who  carried  it  to  the  extreme  portions  of  Europe  and 
possibly  brought  it  to  America  also. 

In  favor  of  this  supposition,  we  here  mention  the  fact  that 
nearly  all  the  shell  gorgets  and  inscribed  tablets  which  are  now 
becoming  quite  numerous,  have  an  amount  of  conventionalism 
which  in  itself  must  convince  us  that  the  symbols  in  them  had 
become  thoroughly  systematized  and  carefully  regulated  and 
controlled.  We  have  no  doubt  that  each  one  of  the  figures  on 
these  gorgets  and  tablets — whether  a  figure  of  a  serpent  or  of  a 
bird  or  of  a  human  face  or  figure — had  a  significance  which  was 
thoroughly  understood  by  the  chiefs  and  priests  and  ruling 


308 

• 

classes,  and  that  they  became  almost  equal  to  a  series  of  hiero 
glyphics  to  the  people.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  loops 
and  bands  and  circles  and  dots  and  crosses  and  crescents  in  all 
of  the  tablets,  and  that  as  a  general  thing  the  order  of  their 
arrangement,  the  number  of  the  divisions,  and  even  the  very 
combinations  of  the  different  symbols,  can  be  recognized  as 
having  a  significance,  each  tablet  becoming  even  to  the  uninitiated 
white  man  a  sort  of  coat-of-arms  or  symbolic  shield,  the  native 
heraldry  having  embodied  itself  in  this  way.  We  may  say, 
however,  that  the  contrast  between  the  symbolism  contained  in 
this  conventionalized  heraldry  is  much  more  elaborate  and  com 
plicated  than  that  found  in  the  larger  and  ruder  effigies,  and  that 
it  requires  a  much  nicer  discrimination  to  select  its  different 
parts  and  to  understand  the  significance  of  each.  The  same 
custom  of  erecting  pyramids  which  had  reached  such  perfection 
in  Mexico  had  here  exercised  itself  in  erecting  this  immense 
earth-work.  The  same  elaborate  system  of  sun-worship  had  here 
embodied  itself  and  the  same  conventional  symbolism  which 
appeared  in  the  codices  also  impressed  itself  on  the  tablets  and 
other  symbolic  ornaments.  See  Plate  III. 

We  would  here  call  attention  to  a  few  additional  facts.  Our 
supposition  has  been  that  the  Mound-builders  combined  the 
phallic  worship  with  fire  worship,  but  that  the  symbols  of  the 
two  cults  had  become  conventional  and  the  ideas  remote  from 
those  ordinarily  associated  with  either  physical  or  material  ob- 
iects.  Confirmatory  of  this  supposition  we  would  now  refer  to 
the  specific  figures  which  are  to  be  seen  on  the  inscribed 
shells  and  tablets  taken  from  the  mounds  and  to  the  various 
markings  and  lines  which  are  seen  on  the  inscribed  rocks,  whether 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley  or  elsewhere.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
there  are  many  shell  gorgets  on  which  the  serpent  is  inscribed, 
and  that  these  serpent  figures  always  have  loops  running  from 
the  body  and  neck  to  the  head,  including  the  dotted  circle,  as  a 
representation  of  the  eye.  This  loop  is  a  conventional  figure, 
which  reminds  one  of  phallic  worship.  Again,  the  serpent  is 
often  divided  into  four  parts;  between  each  part  there  is  a  dotted 
circle,  the  number  four  reminding  us  of  the  four  points  of  the 
compass  and  the  four  parts  of  the  heavens,  the  circles  remind 
ing  us  of  the  four  suns.  Among  the  shell  gorgets  there  are 
many  which  have  the  suastika  or  fire  generator  plainly  marked, 
showing  that  the  figures  which  have  become  so  conventional  and 
the  ideas  which  are  so  hidden  must  have  come  from  an  eastern 
country.  The  same  thought  is  also  suggested  by  the  presence 
of  the  cross  in  America,  a  symbol  which  was  evidently  as  com 
mon  in  prehistoric  times  as  in  historic,  but  one  which  then  had 
an  entirely  different  significance.  It  will  be  noticed  further  that 
these  symbols — the  loop  and  the  dotted  circle — are  to  be  plainly 
seen  in  the  human  figures,  which  are  becoming  quite  common, 


ENGRAVED  COPPER  TABLET  FROM  THE  ETOWAH  MOUND. 


309 


and,  what  is  more,  that  the  figure  of  the  tree  is  also  apparent  in 
these  figures,  showing  still  more  conclusively  that  there  was  a 
mingling  of  eastern  symbols  with  the  native  aboriginal  emblems 


in  these  human  tree  figures. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


RELICS  FROM  THE  ALTAR  MOUNDS  AND  ASH  PITS. 

The  subject  which  we  have  chosen  for  this  chapter  is  one  of 
great  importance,  and  one  which  has  an  especial  bearing  on  the 
Mound-builders'  problem.  This  will  be  seen  as  we  proceed  to 
unfold  the  facts  which  have  come  to  light,  but  it  may  be  well  to 
consider  beforehand  some  of  the  points  which  are  involved  in 
the  study  of  it. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  history  of  mound  exploration  began 
with  the  discovery  of  the  altar  mounds  and  the  remarkable  relics 
which  they  contained.  The  exploration  of  the  ash  pits  is,  on 
the  contrary,  very  recent,  and  marks  one  of  the  latest  events  in 
archaeological  discovery.  It  was  in  the  early  days  of  archaeology 
that  the  authors  of  the  "Ancient  Monuments",  Messrs.  Squier 
and  Davis,  began  their  exploration  in  Southern  Ohio;  but  it  was 
in  connection  with  the  altar  mounds  that  the  most  remarkable 
discovery  was  made.  This  discovery  was  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Chillicothe,  the  very  place  where  these  gentlemen  resided. 
Here,  in  the  midst  of  that  very  wonderful  series  of  earth-works 
which  then  surrounded  that  city,  and  which  were  at  that  time  in 
a  very  fine  state  of  preservation,  these  gentlemen  came  upon 
that  small  enclosure  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  "  Mound 
City".  The  enclosure  was  by  no  means  a  "city",  for  it  was  but 
a  little  circle  and  contained  scarcely  more  than  thirteen  acres  of 
land,  but  it  was  a  spot  which  proved  very  rich  indeed  in  archae 
ological  treasures.  The  treasure  house  of  Mycenae  may  well 
have  surprised  the  great  explorer,  Dr.  Schliemann,  but  this  with 
the  discovery  of  the  palace  of  Priam  in  Troy,  may  be  said  to 
have  led  to  nearly  all  the  explorations  on  the  classic  soil  which 
have  been,  carried  on  since  that  time,  and  to  be  in  reality  the 
starting  point  gf  classic  archaeology  as  it  now  exists.  So  we 
may  say  that  the  little  enclosure  which  contained  twenty-four 
burial  mounds,  which  was  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio 
river,  was  the  starting  point  of  archaeological  discovery  in  this 
country  and  the  beginning  of  prehistoric  science  in  America. 

The  idea  that  there  were  chronological  horizons  in  America 
as  well  as  in  Troy  or  in  Egypt  may  not  have  occurred  to  many, 
but  this  is  the  very  point  brought  out  by  the  study  of  the  altar 
mounds  and  the  ash  pits.  These  are  eminently  tokens  which 
prove  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  or  tribes  among  the 


310 

Mound-builders,  and  that  each  tribe  or  race  left  its  record  plainly 
written  beneath  the  soil.  While  there  are  no  buried  cities  here, 
and  much  less  a  succession  of  cities  such  as  have  been  found  in 
the  great  mound  at  Hissarlik;  while  there  are  no  statues  of 
kings  which  belonged  to  different  dynasties,  such  as  have  been 
exhumed  at  Pithom  in  Egypt;  yet  in  their  rude  way  the  Mound- 
builders  did  leave  vestiges  of  themselves  indicating  diverse  pop 
ulations  and  distinct  grades,  so  that  we  may  easily  separate  one 
from  the  other.  It  appears  now  that  there  were  dynasties  or  races 
in  the  mound-building  era.  which  are  as  distinct  as  those  recog 
nized  among  the  pyramid-builders  of  the  East.  The  dynasties 
may  not  have  as  distinct  a  history  and  the  monuments  may  not 
be  as  full  of  hieroglyphic  records,  yet  the  relics  and  the  mounds 
do  reveal  a  history  of  the  past  which  is  plain  and  true.  The 
invasion  of  the  shepherd  kings  into  Egypt  changed  the  records 
of  that  land.  So  the  invasion  of  different  tribes  here  changed 
the  aspect  of  affairs,  and  we  may  recognize  in  the  mounds  the 
different  grades  of  society,  different  modes  of  life,  and  even  dif 
ferent  race  qualities,  thus  carrying  out  the  analogy  in  many  par 
ticulars. 

The  distinction  between  the  Mound-builders  and  Indians  finds 
illustration  here.  The  study  of  the  altars  and  the  ash  pits  seems 
to  confirm  this  distinction  rather  than  to  confute  it.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  the  relics  taken  from  the  altars  are  not  only  different 
from  those  taken  from  the  ash  pits,  but  they  show  a  very  differ 
ent  condition  of  society,  a  different  stage  of  culture,  a  different 
system  of  religion,  and  even  give  the  idea  that  the  occupations 
or  employments  of  the  people  were  also  very  different.  This  is 
an  important  point.  We  do  not  undertake  to  say  who  the 
Mound-builders  were,  nor  do  we  hold  for  a  certainty  that  they 
belonged  to  a  different  race  or  stock  from  the  modern  Indians; 
yet  so  far  as  their  tools  are  concerned,  we  should  say  that  the 
evidence  is  all  in  favor  of  a  diversity  of  origin,  the  later  people 
being  allied  with  the  Mongolians  of  the  northeastern  Asiatic 
coast,  but  the  earlier  people  with  the  ancient  races  of  the  Euro 
pean  continent. 

Was  there  a  division  into  epochs?  The  ash  pits  we  may  regard 
as  belonging  to  the  most  recent  people.  They  are  so  different 
from  the  altars  that  any  one  who  has  learned  about  them  must 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  at  least  two  classes  of  people 
must  have  occupied  this  same  region,  one  preceding  the  other, 
but  the  more  advanced  being  peihaps  the  earlier.  We  do  not 
know  who  the  people  were  who  dug  these  pits  and  deposited 
their  relics  in  them,  but  enough  is  known  to  prove  that  they 
must  have  been  not  only  different  from  those  who  had  erected 
the  altar  mounds,  but  they  must  have  been  a  more  recent  occu 
pants  of  the  soil,  and  the  probabilities  are  that  they  were  a  wilder 
or  ruder  people.  This  impresses  upon  us  the  fact  that  there 


311 

were  probably  several  epochs  in  the  mound-building  period. 
The  first  epoch  was  that  marked  by  the  presence  of  the  serpent- 
worshipers — the  people  who  erected  the  great  serpent  effigy  in 
Adams  county,  and  perhaps  the  effigy  mounds  at  Granville  and 
Portsmouth — a  people  who  afterwards  migrated  and  became  the 
effigy  builders  of  Wisconsin.  The  second  episode  in  the  Mound- 
builders'  history  we  may  consider  as  the  one  which  was  marked 
by  the  altar  mounds.  It  was  the  age  in  which  sun-worship 
reached  its  height.  At  that  time  the  sacred  enclosures  were 
erected ;  at  that  time  the  relics  of  the  Mound-builders  were 
offered  in  great  numbers  to  the  sun  divinity.  At  that  time  the 
finest  works  of  art  which  have  been  discovered  were  created, 
and  at  that  time  the  most  elaborate  and  extensive  earth-works 
were  erected,  and  the  highest  stage  of  civilization  known  among 
all  the  mound-building  races  was  reached.  The  third  episode 
in  the  mound-building 
period  was  that  which 
is  marked  by  the  strati 
fied  mounds  and  by  the 
chambered  tombs.  It  is 
supposed  that  an  un 
known  people — who  pos 
sibly  may  have  been  the 
ancestors  of  the  Chero- 
kees — intervened  be 
tween  the  sun-worship 
ers  and  the  people  of  the 

ash  pits    and   Chambered  *&-  l>-^ltar  Mound  at  Clarke's  Fort. 

mounds,  and  who  left  the  tokens  of  their  presence  on  the  soil  of 
Ohio.  The  ash  pits  mark  the  last  episode  of  the  mound-building 
period.  We  do  not  fix  the  date  exactly,  and  yet  there  are  some 
evidences  which  show  that  it  was  veiy  near  the  historic  age.  It 
may  possibly  have  been  even  subsequent  to  the  discovery  by 
Columbus  that  these  remarkable  relics  were  deposited. 

As  to  the  ages  represented  a  few  words  will  be  appropriate.  The 
relics  seem  to  belong  to  the  stone  age,  and  perhaps  indicate  to 
us  the  cult  of  that  age;  and  yet  those  from  the  altar  mounds  are 
nearer  the  "  bronze  age"  than  to  the  stone.  Perhaps  we  might 
class  them  with  a  "  copper  age,"  and  from  them  learn  the  char 
acteristics  and  the  cult  of  that  ''age". 

We  have  said  that  altar  mounds  were  closely  associated  with 
sacred  enclosures,  and  that  both  were  probably  the  work  of  the 
class  of  sun-worshiping  Mound-builders,  but  we  find  among  the. 
relics  deposited  on  these  altars  many  things  which  remind  us  of 
the  cult  of  the  serpent-worshipers,  the  two  systems  apparently 
having  been  mingled  in  the  altar  offerings.  The  ash  pits,  on 
the  contrary,  seem  to  have  been  associated  altogether  with  the 
cult  of  a  people  who  deposited  their  relics  in  graves  rather 


312 

than  in  mounds,  the  large  majority  of  them  being  in  the  midst 
of  the  cemeteries,  in  which  many  bodies  were  deposited,  so  that 
we  are  inclined  to  say  that  these  were  not  the  work  of  Mound- 
builders  at  all.  but  were  left  here  by  a  later  people  who  resembled 
the  modern  Indians.  Still  the  relics  discovered  in  the  ash  pits 
nevertheless  remind  us  of  the  "age"  of  the  Mound-builders,  and 
the  question  arises  whether  there  was  not  a  practice  of  borrow 
ing  the  art  of  relic  making  from  one  another  among  the  pre 
historic  races,  and  whether  this  does  not  in  itself  suggest  to  us 
many  things  concerning  the  relation  of  the  two  classes  of  people 
in  prehistoric  times.  We  look  to  the  relics  for  the  records  of 
the  past.  It  may  be  that  we  shall  find  in  these  very  relics  taken 
from  the  altars  and  the  ash  pits  the  different  leaves  of  the  book 
which  contains  the  history  for  which  we  are  seeking. 

The  next  point  has  reference  to  the  religious  symbolism  which 
prevailed.     We  have  spoken  of  this  elsewhere,  but  the  position 

taken  is  confirmed.  Our 
opinion  is  that  these  altars 
mark  the  places  where  the 
sun  worshipers  offered  their 
sacrifices  to  their  great  di 
vinity — and  that  in  them 
we  find  the  symbolism  of 
this  cult.  Our  reasons  for 
this  belief  are  the  following: 

(i)     It   will   be   noticed 
that  the  altars  were  all  con- 

Fig.  i.-Copper  Rings  from  an  Altar  Mound.        tained  in  enclosures,  which, 

owin^  to  the  uses  to  which  they  were  applied,  may  well 
be  called  sacred  enclosures.  It  is  well  known  that  the  ancient 
inhabitants  of  Briton  were  accustomed  to  erect  their  stone  altars 
within  circular  earth  walls  like  these,  and  that  on  these  altars 
they  offered  their  sacrifices  to  the  sun,  sometimes  immolating 
even  human  victims.  This  is  true  of  the  inhabitants  of  Mexico 
and  of  the  Pacific  Islands,  who  were  also  sun-worshipers. 
(2)  The  altars  were  evidently  symbolic  in  their  shapes.  They 
were  to  be  sure  little  more  than  shallow  saucer-like  fire  beds, 
which  were  placed  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  filled  with 
relics  of  various  kinds  which  were  offered  to  the  sun.  Many  of 
them,  however,  were  circular  in  shape;  some  of  them  contained 
a  double  circle,  some  the  square  and  circle;  occasionally  altars 
contained  crescents  made  from  silvery  mica,  the  shape  of  the 
crescents  and  the  shining  material  of  which  they  were  composed 
giving  the  idea  that  they  were  the  symbols  of  the  great  moon 
divinity,  which  in  common  with  the  sun  was  worshiped  by  these 
strange  people.  (3)  The  use  of  fire  in  the  sacrifices.  It  appears 
that  all  the  altars  give  traces  of  a  "great  burning."  In  some  of 
them  human  bodies  seem  to  have  been  cremated ;  in  others  stone 


313 

relics  were  deposited  and  reduced  to  fragments  by  the  action  of 
fire.  The  altars  seem  to  have  been  kept  open  until  fixed  times, 
when  the  solemn  rites  were  observed,  The  fires  were  lighted  in 
the  midst  of  the  enclosure,  the  offerings  were  partially  consumed 
while  the  people  looked  on,  but  afterwards  smothered  by  throw 
ing  earth  upon  them,  which  became  hardened  into  a  crust  over 
the  altars,  and  upon  this  was  erected  the  mound,  which  continued 
to  be  a  silent  monument  to  the  sun.  We  now  proceed  to  con 
sider  the  contrasts  between  altars  and  ash  pits,  and  their  relics. 
I.  We  first  turn  to  the  description  of  the  altar  mounds.  These 
as  we  have  said,  were  the  earliest  to  be  discovered,  the  majority 
of  them  having  been  explored  by  Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis. 
Altar  mounds,  however,  have  been  discovered  in  many  places, 
and  they  now  constitute  an  interesting  class  of  archaeological 
tokens.  It  was  thought  they  were  found  only  in  the  State  of 
Ohio,  but  it  is  now  known  that  similar  mounds  exist  near  Daven- 


Fig.  S. — Altar  Mound  with  Indian  Burial  Intruded. 

port,  Iowa,  in  various  parts  of  Illinois,  and  a  few  among  the 
effigy  mounds  of  Wisconsin.  This  brings  before  us  the  question 
of  the  migration  of  the  Mound-builders — a  question  which  we 
shall  defer  for  another  chapter.  At  present  we  shall  speak  of  the 
altar  mounds  of  Southern  Ohio. 

Let  us  consider  the  locations  of  the  altar  mounds.  It  maybe 
said  that  the  largest  number  and  the  most  interesting  specimens 
are  those  which  were  discovered  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  This 
is  the  first  location.  The  second  is  not  very  distant  from  this. 
It  is  the  group  which  was  discovered  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint 
Creek,  in  the  midst  of  the  enclosure  called  Clarke's  Fort.  See 
Fig.  I.  The  third  location  is  that  found  on  the  banks  of  the 
Little  Miami  river,  not  far  from  the  Ohio  river,  some  twenty 
miles  east  of  Cincinnati. 

There  are  altar  mounds  in  other  parts  of  the  country,  but  they 
are  seldom  contained  in  enclosures,  but  are  oftener  the  cremation 
places  where  bodies  have  been  burned,  the  relics  found  upon 
them  having  been  buried  with  the  bodies.  We  may  say  that  the 
serpent-worshipers  erected  altars,  but  they  generally  used  them 
as  cremation  places.  The  sun-worshipers,  however,  used  them 
not  so  much  as  cremation  places  as  places  for  the  deposit  of 
costly  offerings,  though  remains  of  bodies  are  sometimes  found 


314 

(i.)  We  begin  with  the  altar  mounds  at  Mound  City.  This 
is  an  enclosure  three  miles  from  Chillicothe.  It  contained  thir 
teen  acres.  Here  within  the  walls  were  twenty  conical  mounds, 
all  of  which  were  explored,  and  the  majority  of  them  proved  to 
contain  altars.  This  puts  it  beyond  question  that  they  were  places 
of  sacrifice.  One  of  these  mounds  was  17  feet  high,  100  feet  in 
diameter.  It  was  a  stratified  mound,  four  strata  in  all ;  at  a  depth 
of  19  feet  was  a  level  floor  of  clay,  slightly  burned,  and  around 
this  floor  was  a  layer  of  silvery  mica,  formed  of  sheets  which 
overlapped  each  other  like  the  scales  of  a  fish.  This  layer  was 
in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  the  outer  edge  of  which  rested  on 
a  ridge  of  sand  six  inches  in  height.  The  length  of  the  crescent 
from  horn  to  horn  was  20  feet,  its  greatest  width  5  feet.  The 
mica  sheets  were  about  10  inches  or  a  foot  in  diameter,  composed 
of  what  is  called  graphic  mica.  It  is  supposed  that  these  cres 
cents  marked  the  unknown  rites  or  ceremonies,  and  which  may 
have  been  connected  with  the  worship  of  the  moon,  as  it  is  not 
supposed  to  have  been  a  mound  of  sacrifice. 


Fig,  U.— Double  Altar. 

Another  mound  of  this  group  was  7  feet  high  by  55  feet  base. 
This  mound  was  stratified  with  eight  Inyers  of  gravel,  sand  and 
earth.  At  the  bottom  was  an  altar  of  burned  clay,  5  feet  by  9. 
It  was  filled  with  fine  dry  ashes  and  fragments  of  pottery,  copper 
disks,  and  above  the  ashes  was  a  layer  of  silvery  mica,  in  sheets, 
overlapping  each  other.  Above  the  mica  was  a  quantity  of 
human  bones.  Another  mound,  90  feet  in  diameter  and  7^  feet 
in  height,  contained  five  layers  and  an  altar.  The  altar  was  IO 
feet  in  length  and  8  in  width  at  the  base,  6  feet  by  4  at  the  top; 
the  dip  of  the  basin  was  9  inches;  it  was  filled  with  ashes.* 

This  mound  (Fig.  3)  was  composed  of  five  strata,  as  follows: 
I,  gravel,  one  foot;  2,  earth,  three  feet  thick  ;  3,  sand  ;  4,  earth, 
two  feet  thick;  5, a  stratum  of  sand;  6,  the  altar.  The  altar  was 
a  parallelogram,  10  feet  by  8,  1 8  inches  high.  It  contained  a 
few  shell  and  pearl  beads  and  fragments  of  pottery.  The  in 
truded  burial  contained  two  skeletons,  various  implements  of 
horn  and  bone,  several  hand  axes  and  gorgets  of  stone,  the 
shoulder-blade  of  the  buffalo,  shaped  like  a  Turkish  scimeter,  an 
instrument  made  of  an  elk's-horn,  used  as  a  war-club,  all  exceed 
ingly  rude,  and  resembling  articles  used  by  Indians. 

Another  mound,  90x60  in  diameter,  6  feet  in  height,  had  two 

•See  Fig.  3,  also  Ancient  Monuments. 


315 

sand  strata.  It  contained  a  large  quantity  of  galena,  30  pounds 
in  all.  The  galena  was  in  small  pieces;  around  this  deposit 
was  a  layer  of  charcoal.  The  altar  bore  marks  of  intense  heat. 
Still  another  mound,  140  feet  in  length,  50  or  60  in  width  and  1 1 
high,  with  two  sand  strata,  contained  an  altar  60  feet  in  length, 
which  formed  a  basin  not  fan  from  18  inches  in  depth.  Within 
this  basin  was  another  altar  (see  Fig.  4),  8  feet  square.  This 
altar  seems  to  have  been  burned  to  the  depth  of  22  inches,  show 
ing  that  one  altar  had  been  built  upon  another,  and'fire  had  been 
applied  at  different  times.  It  is  supposed  that  three  successive 
burnings  had  occurred  before  the  altar  had  been  covered.  There 
was  a  thin  layer  of  fine  carbonaceous  matter  in  the  altar,  a  num 
ber  of  pieces  of  timber;  other  things  would  justify  the  inference 
that  they  had  supported  some  funeral  or  sacrificial  pile.  A 
quantity  of  pottery,  many  implements  of  copper  and  stone  were 
deposited  on  the  altar.  They  had  been  subjected  to  a  strong 
heat.  Among  the  implements  were  arrow  points  of  quartz  in 
fragments,  some  fifty  or  one  hundred  of  them  in  number,  two 
copper  gravures  or  chisels,  twenty  or  more  tubes  of  copper,  many 
fragments  of  pottery,  a  couple  of  carved  pipes,  one  of  them  a  bird 
resembling  the  toucan.  There  were  fragments  of  obsidian  and 
crystals  of  garnet  also  on  this  altar. 


Fig.  5.— Paved  Altar. 

Another  mound  contained  an  altar  8  feet  2  inches  in  length, 
and  about  4  feet  in  width,  the  depression  6  inches.  In  the 
altar  were  about  two  hundred  pipes,  carved  in  stone,  many  pearl 
and  shell  beads,  disks  of  copper,  ornaments  of  copper,  covered 
with  silver.  The  pipes  were  much  broken  up.  The  heat  had 
been  sufficiently  strong  to  melt  the  copper.  The  bowls  of  the 
pipes  were  carved  in  the  shapes  of  animals,  birds,  reptiles,  etc., 
all  of  them  executed  with  strict  fidelity  to  nature.  The  otter 
is  shown  in  the  characteristic  attitude,  holding  a  fish  in  his 
mouth ;  the  heron  also  hold  a  fish ;  the  hawk  grasps  a  small  bird 
in  its  talons,  which  it  tears  with  its  beak ;  the  panther,  the  bear, 
the  wolf,  the  beaver,  the  squirrel,  the  raccoon,  the  hawk,  heron, 
crow,  swallow,  buzzard,  paraquet,  toucan,  turtle,  frog,  toad,  and 
rattlesnake  are  recognized  at  the  first  glance.  The  most  interest 
ing  and  valuable  in  the  list  are  a  number  of  sculptured  human 
heads,  representing  the  physical  features  of  the  ancient  people 
by  whom  they  were  made.  Copper  disks,  tubes,  pearl,  shell  and 
silver  beads  were  also  found  in  this  mound.  The  silver  was  re 
duced  to  extreme  thinness,  not  exceeding  in  thickness  ordinary 
foolscap  paper;  it  was  plated,  or,  rather,  wrapped  around  copper 
beads.  There  were  a  number  of  large  beads  of  shell  enveloped 


316 

with  sheets  of  copper,  with  thin  sheets  of  silver  over  the  copper. 
Besides  there  were  several  star-shaped  ornaments  composed  ol 
shell,  covered  by  an  envelope  of  sheet  copper,  over  which  silver 
slips  were  carefully  folded.  A  small  hole  passed  through  the 
center  of  these  ornaments,  by  which  they  were  fastened,  proba 
bly  to  the  clothing  of  the  wearer.  There  was  but  a  small  amount 
of  silver;  the  whole  amount  would  not  exceed  an  ounce  in 
weight. 

Another  of  these  mounds  contained  three  sand  strata  and  an 
altar  of  unusual  form.  At  a  depth  of  4^  feet  the  deposit  was 
reached,  which  consisted  of  a  pavement  of  water-worn  stone, 
taken  from  the  river.  See  Fig.  5.  The  pavement  was  6  feet 
long  and  4  broad.  On  the  pavement  was  a  skeleton.  A  fire  had 
been  built  over  it.  There  were  no  relics  with  the  skeleton,  though 
around  the  head  were  disposed  a  number  of  large  fragments  of 
cyanite,  a  material  from  which  the  instruments  of  the  modern 
Indians  were  frequently  made.  After  the  burial  rites  had  been 
performed,  the  altar  had  been  filled  and  another  fire  had  been 


Fig.  6.— Altar  Made  of  Mint  Disks. 

kindled,  leaving  the  earth  of  a  reddish  color.  The  whole  had 
then  been  covered  up  by  the  mound.  There  was  an  intruded 
burial  in  the  top  of  this  mound.  Another  mound,  So  feet  in 
diameter,  6  feet  high,  contained  an  altar  composed  of  two  layers 
of  disks,  chipped  out  of  horn  stone,  some  nearly  round,  some  in 
the  form  of  spear  heads,  measuring  6  inches  by  4.  Six  hundred 
disks  were  thrown  out.  These  disks  were  deposited  here  per 
haps  as  an  offering;  they  must  have  been  fashioned  with  toil  and 
brought  from  a  distance.  They  were  carefully  laid  in  two  tiers, 
one  layer  upon  another,  a  little  inclining  or  overlapping  one 
another.  See  Fig.  6.  This  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  human 
sacrifices  were  practiced  by  the  Mound-builders  of  this  region. 
Another  mound  which  belongs  to  this  group  near  Chillicothe 
is  the  one  represented  in  the  cut  Fig.  7.  This  mound  was  situ 
ated  in  the  center  of  a  large  enclosure,  but  was  solitary.  It 
contained  two  altars,  both  of  them  cased  or  paved  with  pebbles. 
The  paving  was  made  from  pebbles  about  the  size  of  a  hen's 
gcg.  These  were  laid  with  the  utmost  precision,  rivalling  the 
pavers'  finest  work.  Upon  the  altar  was  found  burned  matter 


317 

and  human  bones,  and  encircling  the  bones  were  ten  wrought 
copper  rings,  probably  the  bracelets  of  the  arms  which  had  been 
burned.  See  Fig.  2. 

(2.)  We  now  turn  to  the  second  locality.  This  was  at  Clarke's 
Fort,  situated  some  twenty  miles  north  from  Chillicothe.  The 
fort  itself  contained  a  hundred  and  eleven  acres.  Within  the 
fort  was  the  small  enclosure  in  which  were  the  altar  mounds, 
showing  that  it  was  the  sacred  place  for  the  clan  which  (see  Fig. 
1 8)  dwelt  here.  This  so-called  sacred  enclosure  was  semi-circu 
lar  in  shape,  2000  feet  in  circumference,  and  in  it  were  seven 
mounds,  three  of  which  were  joined  together,  forming  a  continu 
ous  elevation  30  high  by  500  feet  long,  the  other  four  being 
isolated  mounds  (see  Fig.  i).  Here  the  ground  Vas  elevated 
above  the  surface  and  overlooked  the  area  of  the  larger  fort  in 
which  they  were  enclosed.  The  mounds  were  all  places  of 
sacrifice.  One  mound  here  contained  two  altars,  or  rather  an 
altar  and  near  it  a  bed  of  charcoal.  On  the  altar,  which  meas- 


Fig.  7.— Double  Altar. 

ured  not  more  than  2  feet  across,  were  some  remarkable  relics: 
Several  instruments  of  obsidian,  broken,  but  evidently  designed 
lor  knives;  several  scrolls  from  mica,  perforated,  designed  as 
ornaments  to  a  robe;  traces  of  cloth  with  thread,  doubled  and 
twisted,  made  from  some  vegetable  fibre;  several  bone  needles; 
a  quantity  of  pearl  beads;  some  fragments  of  copper.  Another 
mound  in  the  same  enclosure  contained  an  altar  of  large  flat 
stones,  faced  on  the  top  and  sides  with  slabs  which  were  closely 
fitted  together.  The  altar  bore  marks  of  fire.  The  deposits  on 
it  had  been  removed  by  modern  Indians,  who  had  opened  the 
mound  and  buried  one  of  their  dead  on  the  slope  of  it.  Another 
mound  contained  an  altar  with  a  level  area  10  or  15  feet  broad, 
which  was  covered  over  with  earth,  a  foot  deep,  followed  by  a 
stratum  of  small  stones.  Hundreds  of  relics  were  taken  from 
this  mound.  Several  coiled  serpents,  carefully  enveloped  in 
sheet  mica  and  copper;  carved  fragments  of  ivory;  a  large 
number  of  fosr.il  teeth. 

(3.)  Another  locality  where  relics  have  been  found  upon  altars 
is  the  one  which  has  been  described  by  Prof.  Putnam  under  the 
name  of  the  Turner  Group,  in  Anderson  township  on  the  Little 
Miami  river.  The  group  embraces  thirteen  mounds  and  two 
earth  circles,  is  enclosed  by  two  circular  embankments.  Several 
of  the  mounds  contain  altars.  One  altar  contained  two  bushels 


318 

of  ornaments,  stone,  copper,  mica,  shells,  and  thousands  of 
pearls,  nearly  all  of  them  perforated.  The  copper  ornaments 
were  covered  with  native  silver,  pounded  into  thin  sheets.  One 
copper  pendant  was  covered  with  a  thin  sheet  of  gold,  the  first 
specimen  of  native  gold  that  has  been  found  in  a  mound.  Here 
were  thirty  of  the  singular  spool-shaped  ear-rings,  ornaments  of 
copper  resembling  the  heads  of  animals,  a  few  grotesque  human 
profiles;  scrolls,  scalloped  circles,  oval  pendants,  several  finely 
chipped  points  of  obsidian,  three  large  sheets  of  mica.  The 
most  important  of  all  were  several  masses  of  meteoric  iron,  and 
an  ear  ornament  of  copper  covered  with  a  thin  plating  ot  the 
iron.  Three  of  the  masses  of  iron  had  been  more  or  less  ham 
mered.  They  proved  to  contain  nickle,  and  were  unquestionably 
meteoric.  Another  altar  contained  several  terra  cotta  figures, 
all  of  them  more  or  less  burned.  Many  of  them  appear  to  have 
been  purposely  broken.  These  show  the  peculiar  method  of 
wearing  the  hair,  singular  head  dress,  and  button-like  ear  orna 
ments;  two  remarkable  dishes  carved  from  stone,  in  the  form  of 
animals;  a  serpent  cut  out  of  mica;  several  hundred  small 
pebbles;  300  astragali  of  deer ;  a  finely  made  bracelet  of  copper; 
several  ornaments  of  copper.  Another  mound  contained  a 
tumulus  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall,  in  which  were  several  skel 
etons.  With  each  of  three  of  the  skeletons  were  found  a  pair 
of  spool-shaped  ear  ornaments,  two  large  sea  shells  and  a  copper 
celt.  This  mound  seemed  to  be  full  of  a  series  of  pits,  with 
tubes  and  flues,  showing  the  action  of  fire.  The  Marriott  mound, 
adjoining  the  Turner  group,  contained  a  large  quantity  of  relics. 
The  mound  was  2  feet  high  and  60  feet  in  diameter,  with  a  basin 
of  burnt  clay  in  the  center.  Within  the  mound  were  many  bone 
implements,  such  as  needles  and  awls,  chisels,  objects  of  stone, 
400  flake  knives,  also  10  handles  of  knives  made  of  antler,  in  a 
pile,  under  the  bones;  with  the  group  ot  handles, chipped  points 
and  flakes,  a  copper  plate  cut  from  a  sheet  of  rolled  copper,  9 
inches  across  and  in  length,  5^  in  width;  with  the  plates  6 
canine  teeth  of  bears,  with  pearls  inlaid;  6  spool-shaped  ear 
ornaments,  four  near  the  head  and  two  in  the  hands,  also  a  large 
quantity  of  pearl  beads,  250  or  300  in  number.  The  ear  orna 
ments  have  vegetable  fibre  wound  around  the  central  column. 
These  may  have  been  placed  with  the  dead  as  tributes.  The 
number  of  these  ornaments  found  on  the  altars  of  the  great 
mound,  some  covered  with  native  iron,  others  with  native  silver, 
shows  that  they  were  regarded  as  valued  offerings  in  keeping 
with  the  thousands  of  pearls  and  other  ornaments  thrown  upon 
the  altar  fires  during  the  ceremonies  which  there  took  place. 

These  altars  in  Anderson  township,  as  well  as  those  on  the 
north  fork  of  Paint  Creek  and  in  the  Scioto  valley,  were  all  in 
enclosures,  surrounded  by  a  circular  wall,  but  the  most  of  the 
relics  seem  to  have  been  placed  on  the  altars  and  offered,  fire 


319 

having  been  applied,  and  the  costly  relics  burned  and  destroyed 
by  the  heat.  What  was  the  object  of  making  the  altars?  Was 
it  to  appease  the  divinity  and  to  ward  off  some  great  calamity, 
or  was  it  to  present  these  costly  gifts  to  the  spirits  of  the  de 
ceased,  that  they  might  have  pipes  and  ornaments  in  the  land  of 
the  shades,  the  shadowy  shapes  of  the  pipes  going  up  in  the 
flames  to  be  taken  by  the  spirits  which  were  hovering  near? 
The  answer  to  these  questions  cannot  be  positively  given.  There 
seems  to  have  been  mingled  sun-worship  and  fire-worship  in  all 
of  these  localities,  and  there  are  some  evidences  to  prove  that 
human  bodies  were  cremated,  and  that  the  offerings  of  costly 
relics  were  to  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  Many  of  the  relics  were 
associated  with  human  bones,  giving  the  idea  that  in  some  cases 
at  least  bodies  were  burned  at  the  same  time  that  the  relics  were 
deposited.  There  is  a  distinction  between  the  altars  on  which 
offerings  were  made,  and  the  basins  or  fire  beds  on  which  bodies 
were  burned.  The  last  case  which  was  described,  the  one  in 
Anderson  township,  was  a  fire  bed.  The  altar  was  in  the  midst 
of  the  bodies  that  were  buried.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there 
were  no  offerings  as  such  in  this  burial  place,  unless  we  consider 
the  pottery  and  flint  flakes  and  the  bundles  of  knife  handles,  as 
offerings.  Otherwise  it  was  a  burial  place  in  which  cremation 
had  been  practiced.* 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  study  of  the  relics.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  the  relics  taken  from  the  altar  mounds  are  of  the  same  gen 
eral  character.  They  abound  with  fine  sculpturing  and  are  many 
of  them  imitative  of  animated  nature.  There  may  be  a  slight 
difference  between  the  specimens  taken  from  the  Turner  group 
and  those  from  the  Chillicothe  mounds.  We  learn  from  them 
that  the  people  who  erected  the  altars  were  well  advanced  in  art. 
We  may  say,  in  fact,  they  were  more  advanced  than  any  other 
known  race  of  Mound  builders.  No  specimens  have  been  dis 
covered  which  can  compare  with  these.  Great  contrasts  may  be 
seen  between  these  relics  and  those  taken  from  the  ash  pits,  and 
we  might  also  say  include  the  relics  taken  from  the  stratified 
mounds.  We  call  attention  to  these  contrasts  as  we  proceed. 

(l.)  Let  us  first  consider  the  relics  found  in  the  altar  mounds. 
These  were  of  all  kinds  of  material — copper,  lead,  mica,  gold,  sil 
ver,  meteoric  iron,  pearl  beads,  shell  ornaments,  carved  stone, 
highly  wrought  pottery,  and  even  woven  cloth.  We  may  say  that 
all  these  seem  to  have  been  the  work  of  one  people,  for  they  all 
have  the  same  general  characteristics.  There  are,  to  be  sure, 
certain  variations  in  the  different  collections,  those  from  the  first 
locality  having  more  human  shaped  carvings,  those  from  the 
second  abounding  more  with  the  figures  of  serpents,  and  those 
from  the  third  exhibiting  more  of  the  spool-shaped  ornaments 

*See  18th  Annual  Report,  Peabody  Museum,  pages  450-466. 


and  more  metal  covered  specimens.  Still,  so  far  as  the  art.  was 
concerned,  we  place  them  all  in  the  same  grade.  It  is  unneces 
sary  to  say  that  they  are  immeasurably  beyond  anything  which 
the  North  American  Indians  are  known  to  produce.  They  com 
bine  taste  in  arrangement  with  skill  in  workmanship,  and  are 
faithful  copies  of  nature.  They  display  animals  in  characteristic 
attitudes  and  show  great  familiarity  with  their  habits.  The 
human  effigies  are  valuable  as  ethnological  specimens,  giving  the 
features  characteristic  of  the  tribes  then  extant.  The  ornaments 
are  also  suggestive  as  to  the  dress  worn  in  prehistoric  times. 

We  now  proceed  with  the  specific  cases,  and  take  up  the  spec 
imens  from  the  enclosure  called  Mound  City.  A  description  of 
the  relics  was  given  by  Squier  and  Davis  at  considerable  length. 


Fig.  8.- Heron. 

From  this  we  learn  that  the  carved  pipes  were  especially  beauti 
ful  and  true  to  life.  Among  the  most  spirited  and  delicately 
executed  specimens  are  those  representing  the  birds.  They  are 
more  numerous  than  those  of  animals;  they  comprise  between 
thirty  and  forty  different  kinds,  and  not  far  from  a  hundred  spec 
imens.  There  are  several  varieties  of  the  same  species.  Among 
the  owls  we  find  the  great  owl,  horned  owl,  and  little  owl ;  several 
varieties  of  the  rapacious  birds,  the  heron  (see  Fig.  8)  and  hawk 
being  notable  specimens,  the  small  body,  long  wings,  long,  thin 
neck,  sharp  bill,  tufted  head  are  striking  features.  The  articula 
tions  of  the  legs  and  the  minutest  features  are  shown.  These  are 
carved  from  red  speckled  porphyry.  As  a  work  of  art  it  is  in 
comparably  superior  to  the  remains  of  any  existing  tribes  of 
Indians.  The  hawk  is  in  the  attitude  of  tearing  a  small  bird  to 
pieces.  The  sculpture  is  spirited  and  life-like,  minute  and  deli 
cate.  The  finer  feathers  are  well  represented.  The  eyes  of  this 
bird  are  composed  of  small  pearls,  inserted  about  half  their 
depth  in  the  stone.  The  swallow  has  an  attitude  which  is  char- 


321 

acteristic;  the  body  is  thrown  forward,  wings  about  to  be  ex 
tended,  as  if  the  bird  was  just  ready  to  dash  off  on  its  swift 
flight.  Another  bird  is  wrought  with  admirable  skill. 

The  cherry  bird  is  represented  by  three  specimens;  nothing 
can  exceed  the  life-like  expression  of  these.  Several  bird-pipes 
seem  to  be  unfinished.  They  lack  the  markings  for  the  feathers 
and  for  the  bills.  The  base  and  various  parts  of  the  figure  ex 
hibit  fine  striae,  resulting  from  rubbing  or  grinding.  The  general 
outline  was  secured  by  cutting  with  sharp  instruments,  the  marks 
of  which  are  plainly  to  be  seen.  "The  specimens  indicate  that 
the  work  was  done  rapidly  by  an  experienced  hand;  the  freedom  of 
the  strokes  could  only  result  from  long  practice.  The  lines  in 
dicating  the  feathers,  grooves  of  the  beak  and  other  more  delicate 
features,  are  cut  or  graved  at  a  single  stroke;  some  pointed  tool 
seems  to  have  been  used,  as  the  marks  are  visible  where  it  occa 
sionally  slipped.  We  may  infer  that  the  manufacture  of  pipes 
was  a  distinct  trade  among  the  Mound-builders." 


Fig.  0.— Spotted  Toad. 

Sculptures  of  the  toad  are  very  truthful.  See  Fig.  9.  The 
knotted,  corrugated  skin,  folds  and  lines  are  clearly  cut  with  some 
sort  of  a  graver.  The  marks  of  the  implement  clipping  out 
portions  a  fourth  of  an  inch  in  length  are  distinct.  The  general 
surface  appears  to  be  covered  with  striae,  the  result  of  rubbing. 
Some  of  the  toads  are  also  unfinished. 

Two  heads  representing  eagles  are  also  very  superior  in  point 
of  finish,  spirit  and  truthfulness.  The  peculiar  defiant  expression 
of  the  king  of  birds  is  admirably  preserved.  Expression  in 
sculpture  was  evidently  aimed  at  by  the  artist,  and  very  success 
fully  represented.  The  lugubrious  expression  of  the  mouths  of 
the  toads  is  said  to  be  very  amusing.  The  savage  expression  of 
the  beasts  of  prey  is  also  quite  marked.  The  wild  cat,  cougar 
and  otter  are  represented.  These  are  exquisitely  carved  from  a 
red  granulated  porphyry;  strong  jaws,  short  neck,  whiskers,  the 
shape  of  the  hair  around  the  head  are  minutely  sculptured.  The 
ears  are  also  very  natural.  A  very  spirited  representation  of  the 


322 

head  of  the  elk  is  given;  another  of  the  wolf,  several  of  the 
serpent;  the  beaver,  the  squirrel,  the  toucan  and  the  Manitou 
are  also  represented.  The  human  face  is  very  finely  represented. 
Four  specimens  were  taken  from  one  mound,  mound  No.  8  in 
Mound  City.  Each  one  cf  these  specimens  was  different.  It 
would  seem  as  if  the  effort  was  to  represent  different  tribal 
features  in  these  faces.  The  hair,  head  dress,  tatooing  and  paint 
ing  are  represented.  The  ears  were  perforated,  and  it  is  probable 
that  they  were  ornamented  with  rings  of  copper.  Fidelity  to 
nature  in  the  sculptures  of  human  heads  is  such  that  they  dis 
play  not  only  the  characteristic  features  of  the  ancient  races,  but 
their  method  of  wearing  the  hair,  style  of  the  head  dress,  mode 
of  adjusting  their  ornaments.  A  fillet  of  real  pearls  was  dis 
played  upon  the  head  of  one  of  these  pipes,  the  drapery  of  the 
head  dress  having  had  a  border  of  these  precious  stones.  The 
use  of  pearls  and  precious  stones  for  the  eyes  of  the  birds  and 
for  the  head  dresses  of  the  human  faces  is  noticeable,  as  it  shows 
some  skill  in  the  lapidary's  art. 


Fig.  10.—  Tufted  Serpent. 

(2.)  The  relics  from  Clarke's  Fort  are  next  to  be  described. 
The  coiled  serpent  is  the  most  remarkable,  as  it  seems  to  be  the 
embodiment  of  a  myth,  and  suggests  a  familiar  symbol,  which 
is  common  at  the  East.  The  suggestion  that  the  various  relics 
found  upon  the  altar  were  the  personal  effects  of  deceased  chiefs 
is  controverted  by  the  fact  that  the  deposits  are  generally  homo 
genous.  Upon  one  altar  pipes  only;  upon  another  a  simple 
mass  of  galena;  another  has  a  quantity  of  pottery ;  another  a 
collection  of  spear  heads;  another  a  layer  of  mica.  Mica  is 
common  in  the  deposits  of  the  mounds  of  Ohio.  Beside  the 
deposit  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent  at  Mound  City  and  the  scrolls 
of  mica  in  the  mound  on  the  North  Fork,  the  Grave  Creek 
mound  contained  a  hundred  and  fifty  bits  of  mica,  perforated  as 
if  they  were  ornaments  on  the  article  of  dress.  A  large  piece  of 
mica,  three  feet  across,  was  found  in  a  mound  near  Circleville. 
Perforated  tablets  were  also  frequently  found  in  the  altar  mounds. 
Whether  these  tablets  were  worn  as  badges  or  ornaments,  or 
whether  they  were  carried  as  implements  for  shaping  the  bow 
string,  is  uncertain.  They  are  very  common  in  the  mounds  cf 
Ohio.  Bracelets  of  copper,  smoothly  hammered  and  highly 
polished,  are  also  common.  The  serpents  from  this  enclos- 


323  • 

ure  are  most  remarkable,  as  they  were  very  skilllfuly  wrought. 
Some  of  them  seem  to  have  been  symbolic  in  shape.  "It  does  not 
appear  that  these  relics  were  designed  for  ornaments;  on  the 
contrary,  the  circumstances  under  which  they  were  discovered 
render  it  likely  that  they  had  a  superstitious  origin."  One  tablet 
was  found  closely  enveloped  in  sheets  of  copper.  See  Fig.  10. 
It  was  painted  in  different  colors,  but  several  of  these  were  orig 
inally  deposited  in  the  mound. 

III.  We  now  turn  to  the  ash  pits.  We  have  said  that  these 
belonged  to  a  different  horizon  from  the  altar  mounds  and  were 
probably  the  tokens  of  a  different  race.  These  points  are  to  be 
considered  as  we  proceed,  and  in  order  to  bring  them  out  the 
more  clearly  we  shall  speak  first  oi  the  location  of  the  ash  pits; 
next  consider  the  difference  between  these  and  the  altars;  third, 
of  the  character  of  the  deposits  contained  in  the  pits;  fourth, 
of  the  grade  of  art  which  was  represented  by  the  relics  contained 
in  them,  and  fifth,  of  the  probable  age  of  and  race  to  which  they 
should  be  ascribed. 

(i.)  Let  us  ask  about  the  location.  On  this  we  have  the  testi 
mony  of  several  gentlemen  who  have  visited  the  spot,  including 
the  writer  among  the  number.  The  cemetery  in  which  these 
ash  pits  were  discovered  is  distant  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
southeast  from  Madisonville,  and  occupies  the  western  extremity 
of  an  elevated  plateau  which  overlooks  the  Little  Miami  river, 
and  is  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  water  line.  Here  is  a 
well-wooded  bluff  which  faces  the  river  for  about  half  a  mile,  but 
which  is  cut  off  from  the  background  by  a  small  stream  called 
Whisky  run.  The  locality  has  been  a  pottery  field,  as  much 
pottery  has  been  found  here.  There  are  no  mounds  in  the  cem 
etery,  but  there  are  a  number  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff  adjoining, 
and  among  them  one  or  two  earth  circles  with  the  ditch  inside  of 
the  circle.  It  is  also  said  there  were  about  forty  such  earth- works 
in  the  region,  being  scattered  about  the  townships  of  Columbia, 
Anderson  and  Spencer.  Whether  these  are  with  the  cemetery  is 
a  serious  question.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  other  locali 
ties  mounds  and  earth-works  are  associated;  but  this  is  the  only 
one  in  which  a  cemetery  seems  to  figure  as  among  the  tokens. 
This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  cemetery  was  in  reality  an 
exception  and  that  it  belonged  to  another  period.  It  is  said,  to 
be  sure,  that  the  forest  trees  growing  in  the  cemetery  were  many 
of  them  very  large,  measuring  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  in  circum 
ference,  and  that  this  would  prove  the  cemetery  to  have  been  of 
the  pre-Columbian  age.  We  grant  it;  but  the  same  time  main 
tain  that  it  was  comparatively  modern. 

(2.)  A  comparison  between  the  altars  and  ash  pits.  It  appears 
the  burials  were  exceedingly  rude,  the  bodies  having  been  merely 
deposited  in  the  ground  without  any  covering — not  even  a  stone 
coffin  or  a  covering  of  bark,  and  much  less  a  fire  bed  or  altar 


324 

such  as  we  have  described.  The  only  thing  which  at  all  re 
sembled  an  altar  was  the  pits  into  which  the  ashes  and  bones 
and  debris  seem  to  have  been  poured;  but  there  were  no  traces 
of  religious  offerings  or  any  such  thing.  It  is  worthy  of  note, 
however,  that  the  bodies  were  almost  without  exception  accom 
panied  by  fine  vases,  and  sometimes  by  pipes  and  other  choice 
relics.  The  bodies  were  for  the  most  part  placed  in  an  horizontal 
shape,  but  they  were  also  arranged  in  tiers  one  above  the  other, 
as  if  the  cemetery  had  been  long  in  use.  The  ash  pits  are  sup 
posed  to  have  been  dug  before  the  bodies  were  deposited,  and 
yet  the  pits  and  the  graves  may  have  been  cotemporaneous,  the 
one  being  the  depository  of  the  sacred  possessions  and  the  other 
of  the  bodies  of  the  deceased. 

(3.)  As  to  the  character  of  the  ash  pits:  Perhaps  this  will  be 
understood  from  a  review  of  the  explorations.  This  was  begun 
under  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Society  of  Madisonville.  and 
the  report  was  prepared  by  Chas.  P.  Low,  though  the  explora 
tions  were  conducted  by  Dr.  C.  L.  Metz,  who  afterwards  trans 
ferred  the  results  of  his  labors  to  the  Peabody  Museum.  When 
the  exploration  was  begun  the  earth-works  and  mounds  were 
the  chief  objects  of  interest,  but  during  the  progress  of  the  work 
one  of  the  laborers  who  was  digging  holes  in  the  forest,  came 
upon  an  ancient  cemetery  from  which  six  hundred  skeletons, 
accompanied  by  evidences  of  handiwork  in  the  shape  of  flint, 
stone  implements,  pottery  ware,  charred  matting  and  corn,  tools 
and  ornaments  of  bone,  shell  and  copper,  all  indicating  an  indus 
trious  people  who  lived  in  large  communities,  and  obtained  their 
support  by  cultivating  the  soil,  as  well  as  by  fishing  and  hunting. 
The  cemetery  is  situated  on  a  plateau  overlooking  the  Little 
Miami  river,  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  above  the  river  line. 
It  is  said  to  have  contained  about  thirteen  acres,  and  although 
the  majority  of  the  graves  were  found  on  an  area  of  about  four 
acres,  Dr.  Metz  began  a  trench  on  the  south  edge  of  the  plateau, 
running  it  north  and  south.  About  two  feet  below  the  surface 
he  found  an  inverted  vessel,  resting  on  a  skull,  and  soon  after 
ward  found  others,  making  four  vessels  and  four  crania.  The 
next  day  in  a  space  4^  feet  square,  enlarging  this  excavation, 
other  vessels  and  skulls  were  found.  He  finally  came  to  a  cir 
cular  pit,  3^  feet  in  diameter,  and  4^  feet  deep,  which  contained 
fragments  of  twenty-two  skeletons.  The  work  was  continued; 
graves  were  found,  the  skeletons  being  in  a  horizontal  position; 
and  ash  pits  with  layers  of  ashes  in  the  midst  of  the  graves. 
The  skeletons  were  placed  in  all  directions,  some  of  them  at 
right  angles  with  others;  some  were  parallel,  but  the  majority 
were  recumbent.  The  ash  pits  contained  leaf  moulds,  charred 
wood,  ashes  and  animal  remains,  fragments  of  pottery,  two  of 
them  contained  matting,  shelled  corn  and  ear  corn,  with  a  layer 
of  boulders  six  inches  deep  at  the  very  bottom.  In  one  pit  a 


325 

body  was  found  doubled  up,  placed  at  the  very  bottom  of  the  pit. 
In  another  pit  there  were  two  pieces  of  copper  found  on  the  bot 
tom  of  the  pit,  and  carbonized  corn  stalks  and  leaves.  Other 
pits  contained  layers  of  white  sand  and  white  ashes,  and  with 
the  ashes  a  great  number  of  implements  and  relics.  Some  of  the 
pits  contained  depressions  at  a  depth  of  six  feet  or  more,  filled 
with  white  ashes  and  relics.  These  seem  to  have  been  pockets. 
More  than  one  hundred  pieces  of  copper  were  discovered  in 
these  pits,  and  many  interesting  relics. 

About  1000  pits  were  discovered  in  the  cemetery.     It  is  sup 
posed  that  they  were  made  before  the  600  bodies  were  buried,  as 


LEAF       MOLD      24.  IN 


LEAF     MOLD      24-, I  N 


ASHES    WITH 
ANIMAL  REMAINS 
FRAGMENTS  OF    POTTERY 
SHELLS     8cG'- 


GRAVEL  &CLAY  I  5.1  N 


ASHES    CONTAINING 

ANIMAL      REMAINS 

j)HERDS&UNIO  SHELLS  10m 

BARK.TWIGS&MATTING   -4  I  N 


liiriiilii 


EAR  -CORN 


BOULDERS  6    IN 


Fig.  11.— Ash  Pits. 

a  large  number  of  the  skeletons  were  found  over  the  pits ;  still 
there  are  some  evidences  that  the  cemetery  was  used  at  a  time 
preceding  the  digging  of  some  of  the  pits,  as  in  a  few  instances 
skeletons  were  disturbed  when  the  pit  was  first  dug,  the  bones 
having  been  taken  up  and  placed  at  one  side.  Most  of  the  pits 
are  said  to  have  been  filled  with  ashes  in  more  or  less  defined 
layers.  Throughout  the  whole  mass  of  ashes  and  sand,  from 
the  top  of  the  pit  to  the  bottom,  were  bones  of  fishes,  reptiles, 
birds  and  mammals,  those  of  the  larger  mammals,  such  as  the 
elk,  deer  and  bear,  being  generally  broken.  With  the  bones  were 
shells  ot  various  kinds.  Many  of  the  valves  had  a  large  cir 
cular  piece  cut  out  near  the  center.  The  pottery  obtained  from 


326 

the  pits  was  generally  broken.  A  large  number  of  implements 
made  of  bones  of  deer  and  elk  were  found  in  the  pits.  These 
bones  seem  to  have  been  used  as  scrapers  of  some  kind,  as 
they  were  worn  through  in  the  center,  and  had  sharp  edges,  bev 
elled  on  the  inside.  Bone  implements  in  the  shape  of  awls,  bone 
beads,  small  whistles  or  bird  calls,  made  from  the  hollow  bones 
of  birds,  flat  pieces  with  tally  notches  on  them,  a  few  bone  fish 
hooks,  and  two  or  three  harpoon  points,  were  found. 

The  ash  pits  represented  in  the  cut  (See  Fig.  1 1)  may  be  re 
garded  as  typical  of  the  whole  series.     These  pits  were  partially 

filled  with  leaf  mould, 
giving  the  impression 
thatthe  pits  had  either 
been  left  open  or  that 
the  contents  below 
had  decayed  and  let 
the  upper  part  sink 
below  the  surface.  The 
layer  of  gravel  above 
the  animal  remains  in 
one  pit  and  of  ashes 
in  the  other  would  in 
dicate  the  same  thing, 
for  it  is  probable  that 
these  layers  were  up 
permost  and  that  orig- 

*'«,.  ^.-Pouery  ,-„*!  xaoHommtor.  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

mouth  of  the  pits  near  the  surface.  The  animal  remains  and  bones 
were  just  such  as  would  naturally  accumulate  after  a  great  feast  or 
after  a  prolonged  encampment.  They  were,  however,  such  ani 
mals  as  only  wild  hunters  would  be  likely  to  feed  upon — deer, 
elk,  raccoon,  opossums,  woodchucks,  wild  turkeys,  etc.  The 
fragments  of  pottery  indicate  that  the  people  used  pottery  ves 
sels  for  cooking  purposes.  Our  impression  is  that  these  vessels 
were  accidentally  broken  and  the  fragments  gathered  with  the 
debris  of  the  camp  and  thrown  into  the  pits.  The  bark,  twigs 
and  matting  in  the  third  layer  also  give  us  the  same  impression. 
The  discovery  of  a  large  amount  of  carbonized  corn,  several 
bushels  of  it  in  one  pit,  covered  with  bark,  twigs  and  matting, 
which  was  also  burned,  and  above  the  matting  the  usual  mass  of 
ashes  containing  animal  bones,  shells,  and  other  things,  is  to  be 
noticed,  on  account  of  its  bearing  on  the  age  of  the  pits.  The 
modern  Indians  were  accustomed  to  make  caches  for  their  corn. 
The  covering  for  these  caches  was  generally  of  bark  and  matting. 
We  imagine  that  the  people  who  deposited  these  relics  were  a 
people  who  lived  in  wigwams  covered  with  bark  and  mats,  very 
similar  to  those  of  the  Algonkins.  The  corn  conveys  the  same 
impression.  It  must  have  been  at  a  comparatively  recent  date 


327 

that  this  corn  was  deposited.  No  such  deposits  have  been  found 
among  the  altar  mounds,  though  the  people  who  built  these 
mounds  were  even  more  given  to  agriculture  than  those  of  the 
ash  pits.  The  boulders  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit  are  also  signifi 
cant.  A  common  way  of  cooking  among  savages  is  to  heat 
stones  and  place  them  in  the  vessel  containing  water  until  the 
water  boiled.  Here  we  have  boulders  bearing  signs  of  fire,  as  if 
they  had  been  used  for  the  same  purpose. 

According  to  all  accounts,  a  kitchen  midden,  several  feet  in 
thickness  and  of  considerable  extent,  existed  at  the  head  of  a 
small  ravine.  It  contained  the  same  character  of  material  as  that 
found  in  the  pits.  In  it  were  two  or  three  areas  about  50  feet  in 
diameter,  in  which  neither  ash  pits  nor  skeletons  were  dis- 


Fig.  IS.— Pottery  Vessel  with  Ears. 

covered.  The  impression  made  by  these  areas  is  that  they  may 
have  been  council  houses,  and  that  after  long  residence  the  kitchen 
middens  became  places  for  the  deposit  of  the  refuse  of  the 
camps,  and  the  pits  the  deposits  of  the  sacred  feasts  and  of  re 
ligious  offerings.  This  may  have  been  at  a  time  when  there 
were  no  graves  on  the  spot,  the  bodies  having  been  placed  in  the 
ground  subsequent  to  the  time  of  the  digging  and  filling  of 
the  pits,  and  probably  by  a  different  tribe.  If  a  distinction  were 
to  be  recognized  between  the  graves  and  the  pits  and  the  kitchen 
middens,  we  should  say  that  the  graves  were  much  more  modern. 
Still  they  may  have  belonged  all  to  one  people.  The  ground 
which  yielded  the  relics  was  only  about  four  or  five  acres  in 
extent.  This  was  thoroughly  explored.  The  burials  were 
scarcely  any  of  them  lower  down  than  two  feet.  The  burials 
embraced  all  ages  and  classes,  and  remind  us  of  the  custom 
among  the  Indians  of  burying  the  personal  possessions  of  the 


328 

individual  with  the  body;  pottery,  beads  and  personal  ornaments 
with  the  bodies  of  children;  pipes,  spear  heads,  tomahawks  and 
other  weapons  with  the  men,  and  pottery  vessels  and  ornaments 
with  the  bodies  of  the  women. 

Such  is  the  general  description  of  the  cemetery  and  the 
ash  pits.  Our  readers  will  realize  from  it  that  there  was  a  great 

contrast  between  these  and  the  altar 
mounds,  and  will  conclude  with  us 
that  two  very  different  periods  were 
represented,  the  one  being  the  period 
of  the  Mound-builders  proper  and  the 
other  the  period  of  the  wild  or  red 
Indian.  We  think  that  the  same  im 
pression  will  be  gained  from  a  study 
of  the  relics  taken  from  the  ash  pits. 
IV.  We  now  turn  to  the  description 
of  the  relics  from  the  graves  and  ash 
pits.  It  will  be  noticed  that  these 
relics  are  much  ruder  than  those 

mff.'U.-Lime3tone  Pipe.          taken  frQm  thfi    ^^  mounds>  though 

they  have  the  same  general  character,  being  mainly  in  the  shape 
of  pipes,  pottery  and  various  copper  relics. 

(i.)  We  begin  with  the  pottery,  especially  that  taken  from  the 
graves  in  the  cemetery.  This  pottery  seems  to  have  been  well 
finished  and  contains  many  symmetrical-shaped  vessels.  There 
is,  however,  a  lack  of  ornamentation,  and  so  we  should  place  it 
in  a  lower  grade  from  that  which  prevailed  in  the  altars.  The 
abundance  of  these  vessels,  especially  of  whole  vessels,  is  an- 


Fig.  15.— Sandstone  Pipe. 

other  very  remarkable  circumstance.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  pottery  of  the  altar  mounds  was  all  broken,  very  few  of  the 
vessels  being  found  complete.  Here,  however,  the  broken  ves 
sels  seem  to  have  been  the  exception.  The  pottery  is  all  of 
one  general  type.  It  abounds  with  vessels  which  are  made 
with  ears  on  the  outside,  (see  Fig.  13)  the  mouth  of  the  vessel 
being  drawn  in  and  a  wide  flange  being  thrown  out,  the  handle 


329 


being  merely  a  band  or  strip  passing  from  the  flange  to  the  bowl. 
The  vessels  were  generally  placed  near  the  head  of  the  skeleton  ; 
sometimes  a  stone  pipe  would  be  found  in  the  hand.  One  vessel 
had  a  salamander  moulded  on  the  outside.  See  Fig.  12.  This 
was  found  between  two  skulls;  'though  the  occiput  of  the  upper 
skeleton,  having  been  placed  upon  the  vessel,  had  crushed  it, 
Another  vessel  with  a 
salamander  was  found 
near  the  feet  of  a 
skeleton.  About  80 
copper  beads,  2  inches 
in  length,  rolled  and 
twisted  into  a  spiral 
spring,  were  found 
strung  along  the  spin 
al  column  of  another 
skeleton.  These  were 
in  graves.  In  a  pit 
were  found  two  rolls  of 
copper,  five  bone  beads,  a  stone  skin-dresser,  a  sandstone  pipe,  an 
ungrooved  axe,  and  several  bone  relics.  Two  pipes  and  a  large 
number  of  stone  and  bone  relics  were  taken  from  another  pit. 
A  semi-circular  piece  of  copper,  through  which  a  large  root  had 
grown,  was  taken  from  another. 

(2.)  We  next  take  up  the  pipes.  There  were  many  of  these 
found  among  the  graves  and  in  the  ash  pits,  all  wrought  from 
stone,  either  sandstone,  limestone  or  catlinite.  None  of  the 
pipes  were  made  from  pottery.  Some  of  them  are  wrought  into 
shape  so  as  to  be  imitative  of  some  animal,  either  a  wolf  or  pan- 


Fig.  16.— Catlinite  Pipe. 


Fig.  17.— Catlinite  Pipe. 

ther,  or  a  bird.  Some  of  them  are  fashioned  into  round  nodules, 
but  have  figures  of  birds  inscribed  upon  the  outside  in  a  rude 
way.  Some  are  mere  tubes,  with  a  flat  bowl  raised  at  one  end 
above  the  tube.  All  were  designed  to  be  used  with  a  stem,  the 
hole  for  the  insertion  of  the  stem  showing  that  some  large-sized 
wooden  mouth-piece  had  been  used,  probably  just  such  a  mouth 
piece  as  was  common  among  the  later  Indians.  Not  a  single 


pipe  of  the  genuine   Mound-builders'  pattern   was   found,  either 
in  the  graves  or  the  ash  pits. 

(3.)  Association  of  skeletons  with  pipes  and  pottery.  The  ma 
jority  of  these  were  in  the  graves,  above  the  pits  and  near  the 
surface,  the  vessels  being  near  the  head  of  the  buried  skeleton,  the 
pipes  near  the  vessels.  This  is  seen  by  the  following  descriptions: 
In  one  case  four  crania  and  four  vessels  and  several  flint  relics 
were  found  crowded  into  a  space  of  less  than  four  feet;  in  another 
place  were  seven  skeletons,  several  vessels,  and  the  pipe  rep 
resented  in  Fig.  14;  in  another  place  seven  crania  were  uncov 
ered,  and  with  them  three  broken  vessels  and  the  pipe  represented 
in  Fig.  15;  in  still  another  there  were  five  skeletons  and  the 
pipe  of  red  catlinite  in  the  shape  of  a  tube  and  flat  bowl  (see  Fig. 
16);  another  find  consisted  of  shells,  ashes,  pottery  and  a  stone 


Fig.  to.— Limestone  Pipe.  Fig.  tl.— Limestone  Pipe. 

pipe.  The  skeletons  lying  horizontally  generally  had  pottery 
vessels  near  the  head.  In  one  case  a  pottery  vessel  was  found 
near  the  head  and  a  jasper  spear-head  in  the  hand  of  a  skeleton. 
The  pipe  represented  in  Fig.  17  was  found  with  a  pottery  vessel 
near  the  head  of  a  skeleton.  Two  skeletons  lay  across  the  feet, 
but  no  relics  were  with  them.  A  limestone  pipe  (see  Fig.  21) 
was  found  near  the  head  of  a  large  skeleton,  and  on  the  other 
side  of  the  head  eight  small  deer-horn  tips,  several  arrow-points 
and  a  bone  cylinder.  One  day  seven  skeletons  were  found,  two 
of  them  children,  and  with  one  of  the  children  the  two-story 
pottery  vessel,  and  on  another  day  seven  children.  With  these 
children  was  a  pottery  vessel,  and  in  the  vessel  a  piece  of  shell 
inscribed  with  dots  and  cut  into  notches.  Soon  after  this  the 
ash  pits  which  contained  shelled  corn  and  ear  corn  were  opened. 
These  ash  pits  contained  the  bones  of  animals  such  as  had  been 
used  for  food — deer,  elk,  raccoon,  opossum,  mink,  wood-chuck, 
beaver  and  turkey.  In  another  ash  pit  was  a  pipe  representing 


331 

a  bear  on  its  haunches.  These  finds  were  all  remarkable  for  one 
thing — they  were  full  of  evidences  of  a  peaceable  burial,  and  in 
fact  of  a  peaceable  and  industrial  life.  Very  few  weapons  of  war 
were  found — pipes,  domestic  tools,  food  and  the  vessels  for 
cooking  the  same — no  coats-of-mail,  no  military  badges,  no 
crushed  or  wounded  skulls,  but  many  skeletons  of  children, 
women  and  old  men. 


.  »  .—  Inscribed  Stone. 


(4.)  There  are  several  pipes  which  remain  to  be  described, 
These  have  the  same  shape  as  those  already  given,  but  they 
differ  in  having  figures  sketched  on  the  surface.  See  Figs.  14,  17, 
20,  and  compare  with  22.*  These  pipes  are  worthy  of  study,  as 
they  represent  the  art  of  the  people.  They  seem  to  have  been 
scattered  indiscriminately  among  the  graves  and  ash  pits,  and 
were  the  most  curious  of  all  the  relics.  One  such  pipe  was 
found  unaccompanied  by  a  skeleton  or  by  any  vessel.  This  is 

*We  are  indebted  to  the  Society  of  Natural  History  of  Cincinnati  for  the  use  of  the 
cuts,  and  are  happy  to  call  attention  to  the  collection  of  relics  in  the  museum  of  that 
Society.  A  full  report  of  the  exploration  of  the  Madisonville  cemetery  may  be  found 
iu  the  third  volume  of  the  journal  published  by  the  Society 


332 


a  rare  case,  pipes  generally  being  found  near  recumbent  skele 
tons  and  frequently  associated  with  pottery  vessels.  A  finely 
finished  pipe,  made  of  dark  red  catlinite,  was  found  with  five 
skeletons  in  a  horizontal  position.  This  pipe  is  a  rude  imitation 
of  an  animal  head.  Another  pipe  was  taken  from  an  ash  pit.  It 
had  a  peculiar  form  and  was  made  of  limestone.  Another  inter 
esting  pipe  was  found  at  the  head  of  a  skeleton  which  was  hori 
zontal,  fifteen  inches  below  the  surface.  This  pipe  is  made  of 
limestone,  well  finished,  and  carved  to  represent  the  head  of  the 
panther  or  wild  cat.  A  copper  relic  in  the  shape  of  a  two-barred 
cross  was  found  near  the  neck  of  the  same  skeleton. 

(4.)  Shell  ornaments  and  copper  rings.  One  peculiarity  of  the 
cemetery  "finds"  is  that,  while  the  articles  are  very  rude,  they 
are  made  of  different  materials — copper,  shell,  bone,  horn,  pot- 


Fig.  %$.— Limestone  Pipe. 


Fig.  27.— Limestone  Pipe. 


tery,  limestone,  sandstone,  catlinite,  shell,  but  no  articles  of  gold 
or  silver;  no  lead  or  mica,  or  obsidian;  no  quartz  or  precious 
stones,  or  pearls.  There  were  beads  and  pendants,  but  these 
were  made  from  shell  and  bone,  never  from  pearl.  The  follow 
ing  relics  were  found  with  the  skeleton  of  a  female:  Two  perfor 
ated  shell  disks,  about  the  size  of  a  silver  dollar,  and  a  pendant 
also  made  of  shell,  near  the  neck.  A  stone  flesher  was  found 
with  this  skeleton.  "A  war  arrow-point  was  also  found  in  one 
of  the  dorsal  vertebrae  of  a  skeleton.  This  is  a  rare  case,  for 
very  few  of  the  skeletons  sho\v  any  signs  of  wounds  received  in 
battle.  Copper  rings,  finger  rings,  have  been  mentioned  by  Prof. 
Putnam  as  a  rare  exception,  only  one  case  of  the  kind  being 
mentioned.  The  rings  were  still  on  the  finger  bones.  Agricul 
tural  tools  made  from  antlers  are  common  in  the  ash  pits.  They 
are  "digging"  implements.  These  digging  implements  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the  flint  hoes  or  spades  common  among 


333 

the  agricultural  races,  for  they  are  mere  picks  made  from  antlers 
and  are  very  rude.  So,  too,  the  copper  rings  must  not  be  con 
founded  with  the  "copper  spools,"  for  no  spools  have  been  found 
in  the  cemetery. 

(5.)  An  inscribed  stone  was  found  among  the  ash  pits.  See 
Fig.  22.  It  was  a  piece  of  limestone  covered  with  very  rude 
markings,  some  of  them  resembling  the  track  of  a  turkey,  others 
the  heads  of  serpents,  others  the  teeth  of  some  animal,  all  very 
rude  and  apparently  without  significance,  no  symbolism  being 
apparent. 

V.  We  now  come  to  another  point,  the  comparison  of  the 
relics  from  the  altar  mounds  with  those  from  the  ash  pits.  We 
have  already  shown  that  they  were  much  superior  as  works  of 
art  and  indicate  a  much  higher  grade  of  culture.  This  is  in 
accordance  with  the  old  theory,  first  advanced  by  Messrs.  Squier 
and  Davis,  that  the  Mound-builders  were  superior  to  the  Indians, 
a  theory  which  we  see  no  reason  for  rejecting,  though  we  should 
carefully  guard  it  from  perversion.  This 
theory  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  the 
Mound-builders  were  a  civilized  people,  nor 
does  it  even  hold  that  they  belonged  to  a  dif 
ferent  stock  from  the  modern  Indians.  The 
difference  in  the  grade  of  culture  is  the  only 
point  which  we  care  to  make.  The  differences 
between  the  altar  pipes  and  those  from  the  Fig.  zi>.— copper  Bell. 
ash  pits  are  worthy  of  especial  attention.  These  differences  are 
the  same  as  may  be  recognized  between  Mound-builders'  pipes 
and  those  of  the  later  Indians.  They  are  as  follows:  ist,  the 
altar  pipes  were  all  in  one  piece,  and  would  be  called  simple 
relics;  the  pipes  from  the  ash  pits,  as  well  as  Indian  pipes,  are 
generally  compound  relics — that  is,  they  consist  of  two  pieces, 
a  bowl  and  a  stem.  2d,  the  altar  pipes  were  generally  of  the 
"monitor"  shape ;  the  base  is  curved,  the  mouth-piece  flat,  bowl 
round  or  cylindrical,  and  the  whole  carved  into  some  well- 
wrought  figure.  The  pipes  from  the  ash  pits  have  cylinder  shapes, 
among  them  the  following:  a%  the  tube  with  the  bowl  at  the  end 
on  horizontal  line;  £,the  cylinder  with  the  hole  for  the  stem  in  the 
side  of  the  bowl ;  c,  the  round  nodule;  d,  the  irregular  effigy 
pipe.  3d,  the  altar  pipes  were  symbclic,  either  with  crescents 
and  circles  embodied  in  them  or  with  animal  effigies,  which  may 
have  been  totems.  The  pipes  from  the  ash  pits  contain  no  sym 
bols.  If  the  carved  heads  were  totems,they  were  very  rude,  and 
can  hardly  be  called  symbolic  pipes.  The  flat  circle  which  rests 
upon  the  tube  of  certain  pipes  might  be  called  symbolic,  but  on 
these  pipes  this  flat  bowl  is  at  various  angles  and  seems  to  have' 
lost  its  significance  as  a  symbol  altogether.  4th,  the  altar  pipes' 
never  have  straight  sides  or  angular  corners,  but  every  part  is 
well  rounded  and  finely  finished.  The  pipes  from  the  ash  pits, 


334 

like  many  Indian  pipes,  have  sides  which  look  as  if  they  had 
been  sawed  out,  but  are  otherwise  very  rude.  5th,  the  two 
classes  of  pipes  are  in  great  contrast  in  regard  to  workmanship. 
The  altar  pipes  have  whole  figures  finished  in  the  round,  the  birds 
standing  out  in  full  shape,  the  beasts  generally  with  all  parts 
complete,  though  sometimes  the  head  and  shoulders  only  are 
represented.  In  the  ash  pits  no  such  pipes  were  discovered 
Here  the  animal  figures  are  merely  heads,  and  they  are  very 
rudely  represented — in  one  a  simple  gash  in  the  side  of  the  tube 
to  imitate  the  mouth,  in  another  a  couple  of  projections  to  rep 
resent  the  ears,  but  no  whole  figures.  Great  contrasts  are  notice 
able  in  the  finish  of  the 
two  classes  of  relics.  In 
the  first  are  lines  which 
imitate  feathers,  wings 
and  feet,  and  even  the 
roundness  of  the  feet.  In 
the  latter  are  no  such 
lines,  but  everything  is 
rude  and  wrought  in  the 
easiest  way  possible. 

We  give  a  series  of 
cuts  to  show  thedifferent 
shapes  of  the  pipes.  See 
Figs.  8,9,  15,  16.  It  will 
be  noticed  that  the  pipes 
from  the  ash  pits  are 
nearly  'all  cylinders — 
some  of  them  horizon 
tal,  others  perpendicular 
—but  that  the  pipes  from 

altar  mounds  rarely  have  the  cylinder  shape.  This  distinction 
dees  not  obtain  so  thoroughly  elsewhere  as  here,  and  yet  it 
would  seem  as  if  the  pipes  of  the  Mound-builders  and  of  the 
Indians  could  be  distinguished  in  this  way. 

VI.  We  now  call  attention  to  another  class  of  relics,  namely 
the  class  which  has  the  appearance  of  being  imitations  of  modern 
historic  objects.  This  is  an  important  point.  We  have  all 
along  maintained  that  the  ash  pits  were  among  the  latest  or  most 
recent  of  the  prehistoric  tokens.  We  now  are  to  ask  the  ques 
tion  whether  some  of  them  were  not  actually  subsequent  to  the 
historic  date.  Let  us  first  state  that  there  was  after  the  time 
of  the  discovery  by  Columbus  at  least  two  hundred  years  before 
the  interior  was  visited  to  any  extent  by  white  men,  and  that 
another  hundred  years  passed  before  the  interior  began  to  be 
settled.  During  this  time  many  missionaries  labored  among  the 
native  tribes.  As  to  the  tribes  which  occupied  Southern  Ohio, 
it  is  supposed  that  the  Eries  were  the  first,  the  Shawnees  the 


335 

second,  the  Delawares  the  third,  and  the  Wyandottes  the  fourth, 
all  of  them,  however,  wild  Indians.  Now  which  of  these  tribes 
made  this  particular  spot  their  home  we  may  not  determine,  but 
our  opinion  is  that  perhaps  both  the  Shawnees  and  Delawares 
may  be  credited  with  the  relics  of  which  we  are  about  to  speak. 
We  take  up  the  different  relics  as  they  were  discovered  and  place 
these  modern-looking  specimens  by  themselves,  and  ask  the 
question,  How  came  the  semblances,  except  that  there  was  a 
contact  with  the  white  man  somewhere?  First,  let  us  take  up 
the  sleigh-bell.  See  Fig.  24.  This  was  found  in  the  grave  of  a 
little  child.  It  was  made  of  a  single  piece  of  copper  folded  to 
gether  in  the  shape  of  a  little  hawk-bell,  and  furnished  with  a 
rude  handle.  There  was  inside  of  it  a  bit  of  copper  about  as 
big  as  a  pea.  The  bell  had  a  musical  tinkle  to  it.  It  was  evi 
dently  a  toy,  and  was  buried  with  the 
child  as  one  of  its  possessions.  Next 
to  this  is  the  vase  represented  in  Fig. 
25.  This  vase  is  very  rude,  but  it  is 
in  imitation  of  a  modern  vase,  or  pos 
sibly  of  the  chalice.  Its  upper  part 
is,  to  be  sure,  in  the  shape  of  a  com 
mon  cooking  vessel,  and  retains  the 
ear  and  rim,  but  the  base  is  that  of  a 
modern  goblet  or  chalice.  It  suggests 
a  contact  with  the  white  man.  The 
third  specimen  differs  from  the  others. 
It  is  in  the  shape  of  a  heavy,  rude, 
coarse  comb.  It  was  made  from  elk- 
horn.  It  was  found  in  an  ash  pit.  It  Fig.  w.— Eagle  ripe. 
shows  the  domestic  habits  of  the  people,  and  reminds  us  of  their 
wild  life.  The  fourth  relic  is  one  which  again  reminds  us  of  the 
missionary  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  first  white  man 
who  gave  a  modern  pattern  to  an  Indian  relic.  This  relic  is  in 
the  shape  of  a  double-barred  cross.  It  is  of  copper,  and  has  an  ap 
pearance  as  if  it  had  been  used  as  a  crucifix.  It  may  have  belonged 
to  some  devout  female,  who  was  too  poor  to  own  a  silver  crucifix 
and  therefore  manufactured  one  from  copper.  This  cross *was 
found  in  a  grave  in  contact  with  a  body  and  associated  with  the 
panther  pipe  which  ha?  been  mentioned  above.  The  resemblance 
to  the  modern  catechumen's  cross  is  the  strange  thing  about  it. 
The  next  is  a  pipe  with  the  image  of  the  spread  eagle  sketched 
on  the  outside.  See  Fig.  26.  This  pipe  was  not  found  in?a  pit 
but  on  the  surface,  having  been  rooted  up  by  hogs  whichj,were 
in  the  lot.  It  is  a  sandstone  pipe,  and  is  quite  rude,  but  the  eagle 
reminds  one  of  the  spread  eagle,  which  is  purely  modern. 

There  are  relics  which  have  a  modern  look.  One  is  represented 
in  Fig.  27.  It  is  a  limestone  pipe  picked  up  on  the  surface 
This  pipe  has  straight  sides  and  beveled  angles,  and  reminds  us 


336 

of  some  remarkable  relics  which  purport  to  come  from  the  State 
of  Michigan,  but  have  been  regarded  as  fraudulent  relics.  It  is 
possible  that  some  wandering  tribe  had  dropped  this  specimen 
here  and  that  the  same  tribe  wrought  the  Michigan  relics.  We 
have  spoken  of  the  iron  axe  found  between  two  graves  in  this 
cemetery.  This  axe  must  have  been  made  by  a  white  man,  and 
proves  that  some  of  the  relics  at  least  were  deposited  after  the 
advent  of  the  whites. 

This  subject  of  modern-looking  relics  may  give  rise  to  dis 
cussion,  for  there  seems  to  be  a  diversity  of  opinion  on  it.  We 
here  quote  from  different  authors.  Prof.  Putnam  found  a  relic 
resembling  the  cro3s  in  Tennessee,  but  he  says  of  it:  "The  cross 
like  form  might  give  rise  to  the  question  of  its  derivation.  Had 
any  article  of  European  make,  such  as  glass  beads  or  brass 
buttons,  been  found,  I  should  consider  the  form  of  the  ornament 
the  result  of  contact  with  the  early  missionaries.  But  from  the 
absence  of  articles  denoting  such  contact,  I  think  it  must  be 
placed  in  the  same  category  as  the  well-known  cross  at  Palenque." 
Mr.  C.  F.  Low  also  says  of  the  relics  in  the  cemetery:  "Nothing 
has  ever  been  found  in  situ  which  shows  any  evidence  of  asso 
ciation  with  European  races."  Prof.  J.  T.  Short  compares  the 
relics  to  those  of  other  aborigines,  and  says :  "  As  regards  the 
races  to  which  the  people  belonged,  whether  to  the  stone  grave 
people,  as  the  crania  would  indicate,  or  whether  they  were  the 
last  remnants  of  the  powerful  nation  who  built  Fort  Ancient 
and  other  great  works — these  and  similar  inquiries  remain  un 
answered."  Still,  we  would  say  that  the  various  relics,  th« 
copper  sleigh-bells,  the  catlinite  pipes,  and  the  two-barred  cross, 
were  all  found  in  situ,  and  they  seem  to  indicate  a  contact  \\ith 
the  whites. 

It  is  to  be  remembered  the  cemetery  was  near  mounds,  that 
large  trees  were  growing  on  this  ground,  and  that  some  of  the 
bodies  were  found  underneath  the  very  roots  of  these  trees, 
showing  that  at  least  some  of  the  burials  must  have  been  many 
years  ago,  probably  before  even  the  time  of  the  discovery.  If 
this  is  the  case,  then  we  have  a  history  contained  in  the  cemetery 
which  covers  three  or  four  hundred  years,  and  back  of  the  cem 
etery  another  history  in  the  altar  mounds,  which  cover  several 
centuries  more,  and  so  in  the  two  classes  of  remains  may  find  a 
record  for  perhaps  a  thousand  years. 


337 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


RELICS  SHOWING  THE  CIVILIZATION  OF  THE 
MOUND-BUILDERS.* 

The  subject  which  we  have  taken  for  this  chapter  is  one  over 
which  there  has  been  much  controversy  and  concerning  which 
there  is  even  now  much  difference  of  opinion.  The  civilization 
of  the  Mound-builders  at  one  time  was  supposed  to  be  nearly 
or  quite  equal  to  that  of  the  ancient  races,  and  the  expectation 
was  that  the  people  would  be  discovered  as  immigrants  into 
this  continent  who  were  identical  with  some  of  those  known  to 
history.  Theories  were  advanced  as  to  the  Phoenicians,  the 
Babylonians,  Egyptians;  and  resemblances  were  traced  in  the 
relics  and  pottery  faces  which  aroused  imagination  and  gave 
rise  to  much  conjecture.  The  opinion  became  wide-spread 
that  the  lost  tribes  had  gained  a  home  in  this  distant  land,  and 
from  this  came  the  strange  delusion  of  that  immense  system  of 
imposture,  the  Mormon  religion.  Latterly  the  thought  has 
gone  to  the  other  extreme  The  civilization  of  the  Mound- 
builders  has  been  confounded  with  that  of  the  wild  Indians. 
All  civilization  has  been  denied  them;  their  works  and  relies 
have  been  ascribed  to  the  various  tribes  which  had  their  abode 
on  the  land  where  they  are  found,  the  difference  between  the 
earlier  and  the  later  tokens  completely  set  aside  and  new  tokens 
have  been  dilligently  sought  for,  until  it  has  become  a  fixed 
conclusion  with  many  that  the  cult  of  the  Mound-builder  and 
the  Indian  are  exactly  identical,  and  the  two  classes  of  people 
exactly  the  same. 

Now,  we  have  no  especial  controversy  with  the  advocates  of 
this  theory,  but  desire  to  present  a  few  facts  which  will  show 
that  there  is  another  side  to  the  question.  We  believe  that  the 
migration  of  the  Indians  would  preclude  all  dogmatic  assertion 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  Mound-builders  with  any  known  tribe; 
that  the  succession  of  periods  of  occupation  also  requires  us  to 
separate  the  tokens  from  one  another,  and  distinguish  between 
the  works  and  relics  of  the  early  and  later  people,  and  that  the 
interests  of  science  demand  that  we  still  keep  our  minds  in  sus 
pense  as  to  the  question  whether  there  may  not  be  hidden  away 
in  the  depths  of  the  mounds  the  evidences  which  will  yet  prove 

*This  chapter  is  made  up  largely  of  extracts  from  an  article  published  in  The 
American  Antiquarian  for  May,  1891. 


338 

a  contact  with  civilized  races  during  pre-historic  times.  Strange 
reverses  take  place.  The  case  has  not  gone  so  far  but  that  a 
single  discovery  well  authenticated  might  turn  the  scale  back, 
and  the  coviction  would  become  strong  that  the  touch  of  civil 
ized  man  was  still  to  be  recognized.  We  are  aware  that  at 
present  all  such  evidences  are  immediately  explained  away  as 
soon  as  they  arise,  and  the  advent  of  the  white  man  is  regard 
ed  as  sufficient  to  account  for  every  strange  thing;  but  when 
winged  figures  and  other  tokens  are  taken  from  the  depths  of 
pyramid  mounds,  when  bastion  forts  are  associated  with  ancient 
burials,  when  eastern  symbols  are  found  in  the  midst  of  western 
relics,  and  the  strangest  contrasts  are  manifest  between  the  fin 
ished  ornaments  and  the  rude  relics,  and  so  many  tokens  come 
before  us  which  seem  out  of  place  when  in  the  hands  of  any 
Indian  known  to  history,  we  must  pause  and  think  twice  before 
we  deny  the  assertion  that  possibly  these  came  from  contact 
with  some  foreign  country  in  pre-Columbian  times. 

In  reference  to  the  question  whether  civilization  actually  ob 
tained  among  the  Mound-builders,  we  would  say  the  term  is  an 
indefinite  one.  Technically  speaking,  we  suppose  that  no 
American  race  could  be  called  civilized.  Civilization  came  in 
with  the  iron  age,  and  so  belongs  only  to  the  historic  races.  In 
America  the  people  were  chiefly  in  the  stone  age,  though  bor 
dering  on  the  bronze.  Still  we  have  fallen  into  the  habit  of 
calling  some  of  the  American  races  civilized,  and  we  see  no 
good  reason  for  discontinuing  the  term.  The  inhabitants  of 
Peru  and  Central  America,  as  well  as  those  of  Mexico,  are 
supposed  to  have  reached  a  stage  of  civilization  which,  were  it 
not  for  the  absence  of  iron,  would  overlap  the  early  conditions 
of  the  historic  lands,  and  it  does  not  seem  wise  to  make  our 
selves  so  arbitrary  as  to  deny  the  word  to  them.  The  Pueblos 
and  other  tribes  of  the  great  plateau  were  in  a  stage  of  ad 
vancement  which  warrants  us  in  calling  them  semi-civilized, 
and  yet  the  Pueblos  never  passed  through  the  bronze  age,  and 
so  far  as  we  know  were  even  without  the  use  of  copper.  The 
Mound-builders  and  the  people  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  would 
naturally  be  called  uncivilized,  and  yet  some  of  them  seem  to 
have  been  so  far  advanced  that  it  is  a  question  which  exceeded, 
they  or  the  Pueblos  of  the  west.  The  Indians  are  generally 
called  savages,  but  many  arguments  have  been  advanced  to 
prove  that  they  were  fully  equal  to  the  Mound-builders,  and  the 
name  is  freely  applied  to  the  Pueblos  and  even  to  the  civilized 
races  of  Mexico  and  the  Central  provinces.  It  seems  to  be, 
hen,  largely  a  question  of  words.  If  we  confine  civilization  to 
the  historic  countries  we  certainly  cannot  ascribe  any  degree  of 
it  to  the  Mound-builders.  If,  on  the  contrary,  we  use  the  term 
Indian  to  mean  what  Columbus  discovered,  we  might  take  in  both 
continents  and  call  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  East  and  West 
Indias  and  of  North  and  South  America  all  Indians;  but  it 


PLATE  I.— POTTEKY  FBOM  ASH  PITS. 


340 


PLATE  II.-POTTERY  VESSELS  AND  PIPES  FROM  ASH  PITS. 


341 

seems  better  to  take  the  words  in  the  popular  sense,  and  then 
speak  of  the  American  race  as  we  do  of  the  Asiatic  or  of  the 
European:  to  admit  that  there  were  different  grades  of  civili 
zation  existing  among  them. 

In  commencing  our  search  into  the  social  condition  of  the 
Mound-builders,  and  keeping  in  View  the  main  question  in 
volved — do  they  in  themselves  yield  positive  or  even  circum 
stantial  evidence  of  an  actual  or  apparent  degree  of  civilization 
— these  three  qualifications  must  ever  be  kept  in  sight:  i,  the 
locality  in  which  they  are  found;  2,  the  material  of  which  they 
consist;  3,  the  age  to  which  they  are  to  be  assigned. 

With  these  also  must  be  carried  throughout  a  comparison 
with  the  facts  known  and  positive  in  the  universal  history  of 
civilization  among  other  races. 

I.  The  localities  in  which  the  mounds  are  discovered  are  as 
varied  as  the  length  and  breadth  of  this  continent  can  make 
them;  beginning  up  in  the  cold  climate  of  British  Columbia, 
through  the  temperate  zone,  where  the  best  energies  of  mankind 
most  surely  develop,  down  to  the  luxurious  ease  of  the  tropics 
all  around  the  gulf  shore  into  Mexico.  But  throughout  the 
whole  range  which  this  broad  outline  includes  there  is  invaria 
bly  a  marked,  strong  peculiarity.  A  national  taste  is  shown  in 
the  selection  of  sites;  always  selected,  never  stumbled  upon  hap 
hazard  ;  and  while  surroundings  of  scener}7  and  climate  greatly 
influence  character,  the  settlements  made  by  these  people  were 
permanent  villages,  whether  beside  rivers,  in  fertile  plains,  in 
agrieultural  or  pasture  lands.  None  nave  been  found  in  the 
Atlantic  States,  nor  in  Canada  north  of  the  great  lakes,  because, 
as  I  think,  the  savages  were  there.  The  sites  most  known  are 
on  the  Ohio,  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi,  but  it  is  best  to 
take  them  regularly,  and  commence  at  the  northwest. 

A  British  Columbia  paper  of  1872  describes  a  mound  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Olympia,  with  smaller  ones  scattered  over  an 
area  of  fifteen  miles.  Wilkes,  in  his  exploring  expedition,  de 
scribes  groups  of  them  in  the  Butte  prairies  of  Oregon,  many 
thousand  in  number.  Many  of  these  are  small  hillocks  in  close 
proximity,  clusters  of  hundreds  at  a  place,  as  though  for  settle 
ments  or  encampments  hastily  thrown  up,  or  built  so  close  for 
warmth  or  for  protection  from  wild  animals,  or  from  possibility 
of  attack  from  previous  owners  of  the  land.  As  these  necessi 
ties  or  fears  vanish,  other  needs  and  necessities  arise;  instinct 
as  well  as  increase  urges  their  advance  inland,  and  we  find  the 
mounds  rapidly  changing  into  distinct  branches  and  systematic 
organizations.  The  Denver  News,  1873,  states  a  mound  had 
been  lately  opened  in  Utah,  yielding  relics  of  great  artistic 
skill.  "Others  are  found  on  Big  Horn  River.  Half  a  mile 
west  of  Golden  City,  Colorado,  are  the  remains  of  a  laid-out 
city;  on  the  Yellowstone  River  is  a  regular  city  of  mounds, 
streets  regular  and  mounds  equidistant;  eighty-seven  mounds 


342 

in  good  condition,  sixty-three  in  ruins.  Other  settlements  are 
on  the  banks  of  the  Moreau  and  of  the  Great  Cheyenne."* 
Mr.  Bertrandt  states  such  remains  are  found  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone  and  Upper  Missouri,  near  Clark's  Creek,  Dakota. 
Further  east,  along  the  States  bordering  on  the  Upper  Lakes, 
but  always  tending  southward,  are  the  peculiar  shapes  of 
animals,  like  huge  relievos,  or  sometimes  in  intaglio,  large 
settlements  in  the  rich,  prolific  lands  of  Wisconsin.  In  Michi 
gan  are  the  garden  beds,  where  fruit  and  vegetables  grow  so 


luxuriantly  in  the  light  sandy  soil  of  that  country  during  the 
comparatively  short  summer.  In  Northern  Indiana  there  are 
fields  from  ten  to  one  hundred  acres,  "running,"  as  some  one 
has  pointed  out,  "in  different  directions  as  if  one  family  had  a 
separate  patch." 

The  animal  shape  is  occasionally  found  further  south  than  Ohio, 
but  there  in  the  broad  level,  well  watered  and  sufficiently  wooded 
lands,  where  the  really  important  villages  seem  to  have  been 
built,  we  find  the  outlines  of  the  mounds  most  distinctly  regu 
lar,  very  exact  in  measurement,  very  much  larger,  and  of  con 
sequence  enough  to  be  protected  by  embankments,  showing, 
also,  that  there  where  they  had  the  largest  cities,  they  also  met 
toes  wild,  unscrupulous  and  inscrutable.  Of  these  mounds  in 


*Mr.  James  I>ean«  states  that  nnny  mounds  are  to  be  seen  in  British  Columbia 
strongly  resembling  those  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 


343 

Ohio,  Squier  and  Davis  particularly  point  out  that  their  remark 
able  distinction  is  in  the  perfection  of  figures  in  which  the  erec 
tions  are  made;  and  those  writers  hold  it  as  an  incontestable 
proof  that  they  who  planned  them  possessed  a  standard  of 
measurement,  and  an  exact  means  of  determining  angles.  "It 
has  been  ascertained  that  the  circular  enclosures  are  perfect 
circles,  and  the  squares  perfect  squares,  constructed  with  a  geo 
metrical  precision  which  implies  a  knowledge  in  the  architects 
that  we  should  call  scientific."!  At  Hopetown,  Ohio,  at  Liberty, 
Ohio,  the  exactness  of  the  measurements  are  unquestionable; 
Pike  county  is  a  square  within  a  circle,  as  well  as  many  others. 


Fig.  1.- Fortified  Villages  of  the  Mound-Builders.] 

The  mounds  abruptly  stop  with  the  Alleghanies,  and  we 
follow  their  direction  southward.  In  Tennessee,  where  the 
Cumberland  mountains  terminate,  near  the  Tuscumbia  and 
Florence,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Black  River,  a  large  tract 
of  country  along  the  valleys  of  these  rivers  was  once  densely 
peopled.  The  Mound-builers  were  undoubtedly  at  work  there  ; 
but  it  must  be  equally  understood,  that  as  they  crossed  the 
Ohio  and  traveled  south  ward,  they  mingled,  either  peaceably  or 
forcibly,  with  another  civilized  people, — those  who  had  spread 
up  from  Central  America, — because  the  tumuli,  in  many  in 
stances,  are  not  only  truncated  pyramids,  like  those  of  Mexico 
and  Central  America,  but  are  carefully  planned  with  their  lines 


tAncient  Monuments. 


344 


PLATE  III.— POTTERY  AND  SHELL  ORNAMENTS. 


345 

by  the  cardinal  points.  Another  definite  proof  of  this  is  given  in 
the  November  number  of  THE  AMERICAN  ANTIQARIAN  in  the 
"Inscribed  Shells  from  Tennessee",  bearing  a  striking  similarity 
to  the  figures  carved  on  the  ruins  at  Palenque. 

The  great  southern  country,  lying  between  the  Potomac  and 
Ohio,  on  the  north,  the  Gulf,  on  the  south,  the  Atlantic,  on  the 
east,  and  stretching  west  beyond  the  Mississippi,  is  also  the 
site  of  innumerable  mounds.  With  the  usual  indifference  of  all 
the  early  travelers,  to  everything  save  the  search  for  gold,  no 
discrimination  was  made  between  the  dwellers  in  the  south  and 
any  "other  Indian  tribe".  But  the  incidental  allusions  and  the 
descriptions  of  Spanish  and  other  early  writers  help  us  to  see, 
partly,  that  which,  had  they  not  been  so  blinded,  might  then 
have  been  clear  and  comprehensible. 

Garcillasso  de  la  Vega,  in  his  account  of  De  Soto's  raid  across 
the  country,  among  other  things,  says:  "The  houses  of  the 
chiefs  were,  with  scarcely  an  exception,  built  on  large,  elevated 
artificial  mounds,  large  enough  to  sustain  the  houses  of  the 
chief  and  family, — making  quite  a  little  town  of  itself.  At  the 
foot  a  large  square  was  marked  out,  around  which  the  great 
warriors  built  their  houses.  The  inferior  classes  put  up  their 
dwellings  beyond  and  around.  Some  of  the  mounds  had  sev 
eral  stairways,  made  by  cutting  inclined  planes,  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet  wide,  flanking  the  sides  with  posts,  and  laying 
poles  horizontally  across  the  earthen  steps  to  form  a  wooden 
stairway.  But  generally  the  lofty  residence  of  the  great  ruler 
was  approached  by  only  one  flight  of  steps.  The  mounds  were 
steep  and  otherwise  inaccessible." 

At  one  time,  De  Soto  was  met  by  a  chief  with  five  hundred 
warriors,  who  escorted  him  to  a  town  containing  three  hundred 
houses, — that  of  the  chief  being  on  an  elevated  mound,  surrounded 
by  a  terrace  wide  enough  for  six  men  to  walk  abreast. 

At  the  great  town  of  Chiaha,  the  chief  offered  the  Spaniards 
twenty  barns  full  of  corn,  quantities  of  bear's  oil  kept  in  gourds, 
walnut  oil  as  clear  and  appetizing  as  butter,  «»nd  pots  of  honey. 

With  regard  to  their  manufactures  "it  is  readily  conceded 
that  the  Southern  Indians  exceed  all  others  in  the  ceramic  art: 
the  women  knew  how  to  make  earthen  vessels  so  large  and 
fine  our  potters  with  their  wheels  can  make  no  finer." 
"Amongst  them  we  do  not  find  the  women  condemned  to  do 
all  the  work;  the  men  had  their  share  of  the  hard  labor,  but 
the  women  were  experts  in  weaving  handsome  carpets.  They 
passed  the  woof  with  a  shuttle,  using  a  couple  of  threadles  with 
the  hand,  like  weavers  before  machinerv  was  used."*  Every 
description  of  these  people,  evidences  in  their  religion,  in  their 
buildings,  in  their  customs,  a  civilization  partly  fallen  into 

*Harcot's  Virginia. 


346 

desuetude  rather  than  a  merely  advanced  stage  of  the  wild, 
untutored  savage.  Some  of  the  earliest  travelers  called  them 
the  Muscogees,  but  the  English  when  they  first  began  to  ex 
plore  the  country  called  them  Creeks,  because  they  invariably 
dwelt  in  the  lovely  valleys  on  the  banks  of  the  streams  running 
in  all  directions  over  the  country. 

In  that  word  "dwelt,"  we  note  the  distinguishing  line  betwixt 
them  and  the  "  Indian,"  whose  wandering  propensities  are  the 
inevitable  and  inalienable  indication  of  his  race.  After  the 
Spanish  raid  through  the  southern  country,  the  disheartened 
remnant  of  the  inhabitants  would  become  an  easy  prey  to  the 
warlike  Indians  of  the  Atlantic,  probably  the  same  who  had 
driven  their  ancestors  from  Ohio;  and" thus  account  for  the 
mixture  or  varieties  of  tribes  spoken  of  by  the  early  travelers 
and  writers  ot  the  southern  lands. 


Fig.  2.— Mississippi  Pottery. 

II.  Material  used  by  Mound-builders.     Time  and  climate  hav 


ing  beaten  on  them  for  several  centuries,  all — whether  ori; 
made  so  or  not — have  become  rounded  and  covered  with  earth 
and  grass  so  as  to  give  the  appearance  of  natural  hillocks, 
which  originated  the  name.  But  the  shapes,  as  already  men 
tioned,  have  since  been  found  to  be  very  varied,  as  well  as  very 
exact  in  their  measurements,  when  they  reach  the  Central 
States.  In  these  States  they  are  not  only  much  larger,  but  are 
also  surrounded  by  earth-works,  as  though  for  defense,  having 
apparently  made  permament  settlements  and  finding  to  their 
cost  warlike  Indians  on  their  northern  and  eastern  sides  ever 
ready  for  unheralded  attacks.  The  embankments  are  some 
times  around  single  mounds,  which  would  possibly  have  been  a 
temple  or  important  building;  some  are  around  a  cluster,  evi 
dently  enclosing  a  village  or  town;  a  ditch  or  fosse  is  sometimes 
inside,  sometimes  outside,  undoubtedly  a  double  guard  to  a 
temple  or  a  cemetery,  to  their  crops,  or  to  a  circle  for  their 
national  games.  Lines  of  embankments,  from  five  to  thirty 
feet  in  height,  enclosing  from  one  to  fifty  acres,  are  common; 
those  from  100  to  200  acres  are  sometimes  found.  The  material 
used  in  building  was  evidently  that  nearest  at  hand.  Being 
an  agricultural  people,  they  would  fell  trees  to  clear  the  land, 


347 


and  use  the  wood  to  make  palisades  or  pillars  to  support  the 
foundations  ot  earth,  or  to  frame  into  the  lintels  of  the  door 
ways.  "On  the  coasts  of  Florida  the  houses  were  built  of 
timber,  covered  with,  palm  leaves  and  thatched  with  straw. 
Those  further  inland  were  covered  with  reeds,  in  the  manner 
of  tiles,  while  the  walls  were  extremely  neat.  In  the  colder 
regions,  a  little  farther  north,  every  family  possessed  a  house 
daubed  inside  and  out  with  clay  for  a  winter  house,  and  another 

open  all  round  for  summer. 
The  houses  of  the  chiefs 
were  large,  had  piazzas  in 
front  and  in  the  rear,  with 
cane  benches  of  comforta 
ble  dimensions.  They  also 
had  lofts,  in  which  were 
stored  skins,  mantles  and 
corn.  In  one  house  was 
found  a  tabor  with  golden 
bells.  One  remarkable  tem 
ple,  100  feet  in  length  and 
forty  feet  in  width,  with 

.  S.-Banner  Stone  from  the  Stone  Graves,  high 


in  proportion, 

had  a  steep  roof  covered  with  mats  of  split  cane,  interwoven  as 
compactly  as  the  rush  carpeting  of  the  Moors.  The  temple  was 
entered  by  three  gates,  at  each  of  which  were  stationed  gigantic 
wooden  statues,  presenting 
fierce  attitudes.  Some  were 
armed  with  clubs,  maces, 
canoe  paddles  and  copper 
hatchets;  others  with  drawn, 
bows  and  long  pikes.  All 
were  ornamented  with  strings 
of  pearls  and  bands  of  cop 
per.  In  niches  round  the 
walls  were  wooden  figures  of 
men  and  women, natural  size; 
on  the  sides  of  the  walls  were 
benches,  on  which  lay  the 
•boxes  containing  dead  chiefs 
and  their  families,  with  their 
families  below  them,  shields  of  various  sizes  between  them. 
Chests  with  valuable  pearls  and  valuable  mantles  of  feathers 
were  in  the  center  of  the  building,  as  well  as  in  an  adjoining 
store  house."*  If  all  these  wooden  buildings  have  long  since 
disappeared,  how  much  more  reasonable  that  the  house  which 
their  ancestors  had  used  and  forsaken  further  north,  centuries 
before,  are  entirely  dissolved  into  their  mother  earth,  with  most 
of  their  human  occupants. 

*Bartram's  Travels. 


Fig.  U.— Banner  Stone. 


348 


At  Seltzertown,  Mississippi,  is  a  mound  six  hundred  feet  long, 
four  hundred  feet  wide,  forty  feet  high,  its  level  summit  having 
an  area  of  four  acres;  there  was  a  ditch  around  it,  and  near  it 
a  smaller  mound.  "The  north  side  of  this  mound  is  supported 
by  a  wall  of  sun-dried  brick  two  feet  thick,  filled  with  grass, 
rushes  and  leaves."  Here  were  also  angular  tumuli,  with 
corners  still  quite  perfect,  "formed  of  large  bricks  bearing  the 
impression  of  human  hands."  In  Louisiana,  near  the  Trinity, 
there  is  a  large  enclosure  "partially  faced  with  sun-dried  bricks 
of  large  size."* 

Again  I  suggest  that  if  bricks  were  found  there,  they  were 

probably  the  material 
used  with  wood  and 
earth  in  the  buildings 
farther  north,  put  up  by 
an  agricultural  people 
and  forsaken  by  them 
centuries  previous,  when 
forced  to  move  south, 
eifher  from  internecine 
quarrels  or  incessant'at- 
tacks  of  their  wild  ene 
mies. 

Within  the  mounds 
have  been  discovered  ar 
ticles  of  domestic  as  well 
as  war-like  use,  of  re 
ligious  worship  as  well 
as  personal  adornment;  and  in  this  investigation  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  "Indians"  have  roamed  at  will  over  these 
lands  during  the  many  centuries  since  the  b"ilders  left  them, 
hunting  and  fishing,  lighting  their  fires  and  burying  their  dead, 
no  doubt  with  some  admixture  of  the  knowledge  and  of  the 
customs  they  had  seen  and  the  companionship  of  the  prisoners 
they  had  taken.  Amongst  the  variety  of  articles  found  are,  of 
course,  the  universal  arrow-heads;  some  of  them  of  fine  work 
manship,  cut  in  jasper  and  chalcedony,  as  well  as  obsidian  and 
chert:  spears  and  knives,  chisels,  axes,  awls.  At  Salline  River, 
near  Salt  Springs,  kettles  have  been  found,  which  were  evidently 
moulded  in  basket-work,  for  the  pattern  on  them  is  very  regular 
and  ornamental.  Pottery  is  everywhere.  In  Missouri  were 
found  water-coolers,  having  human  figures  with  intelligent  faces, 
not  of  the  Indian  cast  of  countenance.  Pestles  and  discoidal 
implements  of  exact  finish  are  abundant,  and  in  Professor  Cox's 
collection  at  Indianapolis  is  a  piece  of  amber-colored  translucent 
quartz,  which  some  one  has  described  "as  being  symmetrically 
grained'and  polished  in  a  way  that  would  now  require  a  wheel 


Fig.  5.— Pottery  from  the  Moqui  Pueblos. 


*Baldwin  states  this  on  the  authority  of  Dr.  M.  W.  Dickeson. 


349 


and  diamond  dust."  In  some  mounds  have  been  found  pieces 
of  fabrics  which,  though  coarse,  are  woven  with  care  and  reg 
ularity,  with  threads  of  uniform  exactness,  for  the  making  of 
which  are  also  found  the  shuttles  of  various  sizes,  well  finished 
gauges  and  weights  to  regulate  sizes  and  keep  the  threads  taut. 

We  give  cuts  to  illustrate  this  point.  See  plates.  Our  read 
ers  will  notice  that  the  pottery  from  the  ash  pits,  which  are 
supposed  to  be  modern,  is  quite  rude,  and  that  the  pottery  of 
the  stone  graves  is  much  superior. 

One  or  two  still  more  remarkable  things  have  been  turned  up 
from  mounds  in  various  parts.  In  the  mound  in  Virginia  were 
many  specimens  of 
mica.  The  only  mica 
mines  were  in  North 
Carolina. 

From  the  mounds 
have  also  been  dug  up 
quantities  of  copper 
and  copper  imple 
ments  and  ornaments 
all  over  the  country. 
Moreover  it  is  always 
one  peculiar  kind  of 
copper,  having  spots 
of  pure  silver  studding 
the  face  of  it,  as  if  nat 
ural  to  it — not  alloyed 
with  it.  Copper  of 
this  peculiarity  is 
found  only  in  the  cop 
per  beds  of  Lake  Superior.  No  settlements  have  been  found 
near  the  mines  of  Lake  Superior.  The  geological  report  to 
the  national  government  describes  these  old  mines  as  being 
chiefly  surface  work — that  is,  the  surface  of  the  veins  was 
worked  in  open  pits  and  trenches.  The  Minnesota  mine,  in 
Upper  Michigan,  was  only  excavated  thirty  feet,  and  here  "Mr. 
Knapp  discovered  a  detached  mass  of  copper  weighing  six 
tons.  It  lay  upon  a  cob-work  of  round  logs  or  skids,  six  or 
eight  inches  in  diameter,  the  ends  of  which  showed  plainly  the 
marks  of  a  small  axe  or  cutting  tool.  They  soon  shriveled 
when  exposed  to  the  air.  The  mass  of  copper  had  been  raised 
several  feet,  along  the  foot  of  the  lode  on  timbers,  by  means  of 
wedges."*  This  was  in  1848,  and  old  trees,  showing  395  rings 
of  annual  growth,  stood  in  the  debris,  and  the  fallen  and  de 
cayed  trunks  of  trees  of  a  former  generation  were  lying  across 
the  pits.  In  Michigan,  also,  were  the  garden  beds  for  the  quick 
growing  supplies  of  summer  food.  Is  not  the  inference  clear 


Fig.  6. — Pottery  from  the  Stone  Graves. 


*Baldwin. 


350 

that  the  "Mound-builders,"  having  found  these  mines  on  their 
journey  south,  and  requiring  such  material,  would  send  up  every 
summer  a  party  of  workmen  for  their  suppMes;  and,  being  an 
agricultural  people,  yet  needing  the  copper  for  their  implements, 
they  would  manifest  exactly  what  one  writer  expressly  says  of 
these  Michigan  mines,  "The  old  mines  everywhere  show  the 
strange  peculiarities  ol  both  knowledge  and  lack  of  knowledge." 
The  miners'  tools  which  were  found  have  been  a  matter  of 
wonder  to  the  archaeologist  ever  since  the  discovery. 

The  different  material  of  which  the  mounds  are  formed,  as 
well  as  their  shape  and  their  relative  position,  show  their  differ 
ent  intent  and  purpose.  While  some  were  lodge  buildings,  or 
residences  of  the  rulers,  or  temples,  others  were  altar  mounds, 
which  were  of  burnt  clay,  of  fine  material,  and  often  brought 
from  a  distance.  At  Mound  City,  Chillicothe,  Ohio,  there  were 
found  two  layers  of  limestone,  chipped  in  the  form  of  discs  and 
spear-heads,  six  hundred  of  them.  In  another  mound  the  costly 
offerings  of  the  most  highly  finished  pipes  and  other  ornaments. 

It  has  ever  been  the  custom  with  civilized  people,  as  well  as 
barbarians,  to  bury  articles  of  value  with  the  dead.  The  Scyth 
ians,  the  Egyptians,  the  Indians,  the  Aryans  of  the  Vedas,  the 
Jews,  the  Greeks,  the  Christians,  all  have  done  it.  We  find  it 
no  less  among  the  Mound-builders.  All  did  it,  according  to  the 
customs  of  race,  from  the  old  Chaldean  sceptre,  the  Egyptian 
obolus,  to  pay  the  trip  across  the  black  lake,  down  to  our  pres 
ent  funeral  wrtath;  changed  in  token  and  in  signification,  but 
nowhere  broken  in  historic  sequence.  Therefore,  it  is  as  much 
a  sign  of  civilization  as  of  a  wild  Indian  to  find  the  links  of 
earthly  habits  laid  beside  the  bones  of  the  Mound-builders,  when 
their  spirits  had  fled  to  the  Happy  Land.  I  have  already  pointed 
out  the  importance  of  remembering  the  effect  of  time  and  cli 
mate,  especially  in  this  country,  when  sun  and  air  seem  to  take 
more  rapid  effect,  both  in  growth  and  decay  of  the  natural 
world,  than  in  other  parts,  and  supposing  these  mounds  were 
left  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  years  ago,  is  it  wonderful  no 
more  evidence  of  their  inhabitants  is  left?  In  approaching  the 
south  and  towards  Mexico,  where  they  mix  with  the  stone- 
building  nation  from  Central  America,  walls  and  ruins  are  still 
standing.  Moreover  the  southern  settlements  were  probably 
the  latest  in  existence.  If  it  be  asked  why  no  remains  of 
masonry  and  stone-work  are  to  be  found  amongst  the  ruins  of 
the  mounds  in  the  Central  and  Southern  States,  the  answer  is 
that  a  pastoral  people  were  not  hewers  of  stone;  and  for  the 
reason  that  their  sites  were  in  agricultural  lands  and  they  would 
not  be  where  stone  quarries  were  available.  In  this  country 
wood  in  abundance  was  at  hand ;  but  when  the  settlements  were 
left  it  would  decay,  and  if  bricks  were  used  they,  too,  would 
crumble  into  dust. 

III.  The  subject  of  resemblances  comes  next.    It  was  custom- 


351 

ary  in  Asiatic  countries  to  build  the  cities  on  an  elevation,  the 
whole  city  surrounded  by  an  embankment  and  a  deep  ditche 
sometimes  only  the  palace,  the  temple  and  the  important  build 
ings  were  elevated.  When  Layard  first  found  Nineveh  it  was 
only  a  varied  accumulation  ot  mounds,  though  ot  course  in  that 
instance  some  of  the  solid  foundation  was  beneath.  Yet  it  was 
only  the  great  cities  which  had  such  durable  foundations.  Many 
a  mound  that  marked  an  ancient  dwelling  has  been  tramped 
over  unnoticed  by  the  armies  of  the  successive  nations  that  have 
held  sway  over  the  great  belt  of  Central  Asia.  Here  then  a 
pastoral  people  came  to  dwell,  and  to  imitate  in  their  way  and 
with  available  means  the  dwellings  of  their  own  old  lands,  or 
of  the  haughty  nations  in  the  midst  of  whom  their  ancestors 
had  lived,  only  the  wild  native  and  the  wild  nature  had  in  their 
fitful  moods  obliterated  by  degrees  the  tangible  proofs  of  such 
existence,  and  left  only  the  mounds  of  earth  in  their  place. 

Professor  Davidson  says  he  has  seen  arrow-heads  from  the 
eastern  hemisphere  exactly  similar  to  those  of  the  western. 
Other  implements  found  here  are  exactly  such  as  are  described 
in  use  by  the  ancient  nations  of  the  orient. 

If  the  natives  of  the  south,  when  De  Soto  first  invaded  them, 
were  dwelling  in  houses.built  on  mounds,  with  wooden  stairways, 
supports,  etc.,  and  having  large  stores  of  corn,  of  oil,  of  honey, 
as  well  as  of  woven  fabrics,  of  copper  and  of  pearl,  and  if  some 
of  them  have  traditions  and  picture  writings  of  long  wanderings 
and  various  settlements,  is  it  not  within  the  limits  ot  probability 
that  their  ancestors  were  once  from  the  Old  World? 

The  point  that  we  make  is  that  back  of  the  Indians'  compar 
ative  rude  condition  was  the  higher  condition  of  the  Mound- 
builders,  but  back  of  the  Mound-builders  was  a  civilization 
which  so  closely  resembles  that  found  in  historic  lands  as  to 
give  rise  to  the  idea  that  it  may  have  originated  in  those  lands. 
We  do  not  undertake  to  say  how  it  came  into  this  far-off  region 
nor  by  what  routes,  and  yet  it  does  not  seem  possible  that  the 
resemblances  could  be  so  great  unless  there  was  a  filtering  at 
least  of  these  old  time-honored  conditions.  The  routes  may 
indeed  have  been  from  different  directions — the  pyramid-builders 
from  the  far  southwest,  and  originally  from  the  distant  Asiatic 
coast;  the  serpent-worshipers  from  the  distant  east  or  northeast, 
and  originally  from  the  European  continent;  the  tomb-builders 
and  hunters  from  the  northwest,  and  originally  from  the  Mon 
golian  regions;  the  military  classes  and  the  villagers  of  the 
central  district  may  either  come  from  the  northwest  or  the 
northeast;  yet  whatever  the  route,  and  howsoever  distant  the 
original  source  we  can  not  fail  to  see  very  close  analogies.  The 
supposition  with  some  is  that  these  are  merely  accidental;  they 
are  all  to  be  accounted  for  on  the  ground  of  parallel  develop 
ment.  But  to  others  they  have  been  so  striking  as  to  give  rise 
to  the  strangest  theories,  concerning  which  we  have  spoken. 


352 

This  is  to  be  considered,  too,  in  this  connection,  that  the  farther 
back  we  go  the  more  striking  do  the  resemblances  seem.  These 
resemblances  are,  to  be  sure,  explained  by  some  as  the  result  ot 
very  recent  contact  with  the  white  man,  but  by  others  as  the 
result  of  pre-Columbian  contact  with  foreign  countries,  and  this 
seems  to  us  the  more  reasonable  explanation. 

It  is  noticeable  that  we  have  not  only  the  modern-looking 
forts,  such  as  the  one  on  the  Tennessee  River,  with  bastions 
scattered  along  its  walls  at  intervals  of  about  eighty  feet,  and 
with  re-entering  angles  exactly  like  the  European  forts,  but  in 
side  of  the  enclosure  we  find  the  earth  pyramies  and  regular 
burial  mounds,  which  in  all  respects  resemble  the  Mound-build 
ers'  works.  In  the  same  region  we  also  find  stone  forts,  built 
after  an  aboriginal  pattern,  with  gateways  arranged  in  angles 
similar  to  the  Toltec  gateways.  See  cut  p.  342.  We  have  also 
from  the  same  region  pottery,  containing  many  portraits,  which 
remind  us  ot  nearly  all  the  civilized  races,  but  among  these 
faces  are  others  which  are  purely  aboriginal.  We  find  in  the 
southern  district  also  various  ornamented  banner  stones,  with 
the  Greek  fret  plainly  depicted  on  them,  but  more  exact  orna 
ments  of  the  same  pattern  are  found  in  the  pottery  vessels  from 
the  Moqui  pueblos  in  Arizona,  and  still  more  exact  patierns  and 
regular  figures  may  be  seen  on  the  front  of  the  Governors' 
House  in  Uxmal,  in  Central  America.  The  looped  pattern  may 
also  be  seen  on  the  pottery  of  Mississippi,  as  well  as  on  the 
various  shell  gorgets  of  the  stone  graves,  reminding  us  always 
of  similar  pattnrns  common  in  civilized  countries.  We  find 
tablets  and  gorgets  which  contain  all  of  the  symbols  common 
in  oriental  lands,  such  as  the  cross,  the  suastika,  the  fire  gener 
ator,  the  serpent,  the  tree,  the  crescent,  the  sun  circle,  the  horse 
shoe,  the  owl  and  the  dragon;  but  with  these  are  figures  purely 
aboriginal,  and  which  could  uot  have  originated  elsewhere  than 
among  the  Indians.  We  find  in  one  case — in  the  Davenport 
tablet — inscribed  figures  which,  if  genuine,  prove  a  phonetical 
alphabet  to  have  been  known,  but  in  the  Thruston  tablet  the 
figures  are  so  extremely  rude  as  to  give  rise  to  the  idea  that 
none  but  an  Indian  could  have  devised  and  inscribed  them.  The 
winged  figures  spoken  of  as  found  in  the  Georgia  pyramids 
remind  us  of  historic  and  oriental  art  forms,  but  the  relics  from 
the  same  mound  were  evidently  of  native  workmanship.  So 
with  all  the  works  and  relics,  a  strange  mixture  of  foreign  pat 
terns  with  native  execution,  always  suggesting  to  us  that  in 
some  way  the  touch  of  civilization  was  still  preserved,  notwith 
standing  the  prevalence  of  barbarism  or  savagery  on  all  sides. 

We  give  illustrations  of  these  points  in  the  cuts  furnished 
herewith.  See  Figs,  i,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  6.  The  first  represents 
the  ancient  forts  on  the  Tennessee  River.  The  mounds  within 
the  fort  contained  many  charred  logs  and  various  flues  and  fur 
naces,  giving  the  idea  that  they  may  have  been  the  remains  of 


353 

houses.  The  other  figures  represent  the  pottery  of  the  Southern 
Mound-builders.  It  was  fully  equal  to  the  pottery  of  the  ancient 
Puebloes  and  in  many  respects  equal  to  that  of  the  civilized  races. 

IV.  As  to  the  social  status  of  the  prehistoric  villages,  we  may 
say  that  they  represent  three  distinct  grades,  the  first  being  the 
upper  stage  of  savagery,  the  second  the  lower  stage  of  barbarism, 
the  third  the  semi-civilized  condition. 

Mr.  L.  H.  Morgan  has  divided  the  ethnical  periods — savagery, 
barbarism  and  civilization — into  sub-periods,  making  a  lower, 
middle  and  upper  condition  of  savagery,  and  a  lower,  middle 
and  upper  condition  of  barbarism;  he  has  placed  the  village 
Indians  upon  one  side  of  a  line,  assigning  them  to  the  lower 
status  of  barbarism,  but  the  "partially  village  Indians"  upon  the 
other  side  of  the  line,  assigning  them  to  the  upper  status  of 
savagery.  It  is,  however,  a  question  whether  the  term  "partially 
village  Indians"  should  be  used,  for  village  life  prevailed  among 


Fig.  7. — Frog  Pipe  from  Indiana. 

all  classes.  What  the  author  means  is,  the  hunter  Indians  occu 
pied  temporary  villages,  while  the  Pueblos  of  the  far  West 
occupied  the  more  permanent  villages  and  were  thoroughly 
organized  upon  the  communistic  plan.  We  would,  however, 
place  a  class  between  the  two  and  identify  them  with  the  Mound- 
builders,  making  their  villages  the  test  by  which  we  ascertain 
the  difference  between  these  three  classes.  This  difference  con 
sists  not  so  much  in  the  fact  that  that  they  represented  different 
modes  of  life  or  different  grades  of  advancement,  as  that  they 
represented  different  styles  of  architecture,  different  styles  of  art, 
and  different  systems  of  religion,  as  well  as  different  localities,  or 
habitats.  By  this  means  we  are  able  to  classify  the  villages. 

We  classify  the  grades  by  the  villages.  I .  We  place  the  stockade 
villages  in  the  first  grade,  and  divide  the  people  into  hunters, 
warriors  and  nomads.  2.  The  extensive  earth-works  which  are 
found  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  embody  the  Mound- 
builders'  villages.  We  ascribe  these  to  the  second  grade,  and  divide 


354 


the  people  into  horticultural,  agricultural  and  sedentary  classes, 
giving  each  a  different  class  of  works.  3.  The  Pueblos,  who  used 
adobe  or  stone,  and  built  their  villages  in  terraces,  we  assign 
to  the  third  grade.  They  may  be  divided  into  three  classes. 
Those  who  erected  their  pueblos  in  the  valleys,  and  those  who 
placed  their  villages  on  the  mesas  and  defended  them  by  their 
location;  and  those  who  placed  their  houses  on  the  sides  of 
the  cliffs,  thrusting  their  villages  into  the  niches,  making  the 


Fig,  8. — Stone  Pulleys  from  the  Stone  Graves. 

defense  which  the  cliffs  furnished  the  chief  object.  These  culti 
vated  the  soil  by  irrigation,  had  domestic  animals  and  practiced 
the  art  of  weaving.  Their  pottery  was  highly  ornamented  and 
their  symbolism  was  elaborate. 

But  all  of  the  more  ancient  races,  Mound-builders,  Cliff-dwell 
ers  and  Pueblos,  seem  to  have  been  invaded  by  hordes  of  wild 
tribes  who  either  drove  them  from  their  original  seats  or  shut 
them  up  in  their  fortresses  and  finally  reduced  them  to  a 
decimated  state,  their  territory  being  limited,  their  advancement 
hindered  by  the  constant  pressure  of  their  enemies.  The  initial 
point  of  the  migration  of  these  later  races  is  unknown,  though 
according  to  later  investigation  there  seems  to  have  been  three 
centers:  ist.  The  valley  of  the  Columbia,  the  seat  of  the  wild 


Fig.  9.— Flint  Hoes  from  Tennessee. 

tribes,  such  as  the  Apaches,  Comanches,  etc.,  that  crowded  down 
upon  the  Cliff-dwellers  and  Pueblos  and  drove  them  from  their 
ancient  possessions.  2d,  The  peninsula  between  Lake  Superior 
and  Michigan,  the  seat  of  the  Ojibwas  and  Athabascans,  the 
nursery  land  of  the  many  Algonquin  tribes  which  spread  over 
the  entire  region  between  the  great  lakes  and  the  Ohio  River  and 
drove  the  Mound- builders  from  their  possessions.  3d.  The 
region  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  the  nursery  grounds  of 
the  Iroquois  tribes. 


355 


Fig.  10.— Barrel  Shaped  Disc. 


The  cultivation  of  maize  and  plants  tended  to  localize  some  of 
these  tribes,  so  that  the  Iroquois,  the  Cherokees,  and  at  one 
time  the  Dakotas,  were  established  in  smaller  areas  and  rapidly 
grew  into  the  condition  of  advanced  village  Indians;  but  these 
are  the  only  regions  in  North  America  that  can  be  called  natural 

centers  of  subsistence  and  the 
natural  sources  of  the  migrat 
ing  tribes  of  hunters,  nomads 
and  warriors. 

Whether  these  various  stocks 
of  Indians,  which  are  now  so 
well  known  as  coming  from 
the  same  locality  and  related 
to  one  another  in  language, 
originated  on  the  continent,  is 
very  uncertain.  All  that  we 
know  about  them  is,  that  when 
they  became  known  to  his 
tory  they  seem  to  have  had 
all  grades  of  culture,  all  styles 
of  architecture,  all  modes  of  life,  and  all  systems  of  religion, 
which  both  differed  among  themselves  and  also  differed  from 
those  which  seemed  to  have  existed  in  the  central  regions  before 
they  reached  them.  Whether  we  are  to  class  the  Mound- 
builders  among  the  older  races  and  assign  them  all  to  a  different 
stock  from  the  Indians  is  now  the  problem.  This  much  we  may 
do — we  may  assign  to  them  a 
cultus  which  was  peculiar,  and 
may  take  the  mound-building 
age  as  the  one  in  which  that 
cultus  prevailed.  This  we  do 
with  the  Pueblos,  the  Cliff- 
dwellers  and  with  the  civilized 
races  who  have  left  their  an 
cient  cities  in  the  central  prov 
inces,  even  when  we  trace  their 
descendants  in  the  native 
tribes  which  still  survive,  and 
there  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  not,  in  the  case  of  the  M9'  n-cloth  from  a  Mound  in  Ohi0'  * 
ancient  inhabitants  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  We  divide  the 
entire  continent  into  different  districts,  in  which  all  grades  ot 
society  are  represented,  placing  the  lower  condition  of  savagery 
among  the  ice  fields  of  the  North,  making  fish  subsistence  the 
chief  test;  the  middle  status  of  savagery,  we  place  in  the  forest 
regions  about  Hudson's  Bay  and  north  of  the  great  lakes,  making 


*The  cuts  on  this  and  adjoining  pages  represent  the  industrial  arts  of  the  Mound- 
builders. 


356 


subsistence  upon  game  the  test;  the  upper  status  of  savagery 
we  assign  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  along  both 
sides  of  the  great  lakes  and  as  far  south  as  the  Ohio  River, 
making  subsistence  upon  game  and  the  occasional  use  of  cereals 
the  test. 

This  leaves  to  us  all  the  lower  part  of  the  Mississippi  valley 
for  the  people  who  were  in  the  lower  status  of  barbarism,  and 
who  gained  their  subsistence  partly  by  hunting  and  mainly  by 
the  cultivation  of  the  maize,  whom  we  call  the  Mound-builders. 
The  middle  status  of  barbarism,  according  to  Mr.  Morgan,  was 
marked  by  cultivation,  by  irrigation,  use  of  domestic  animals, 
and  was  occupied  by  the  village  Indians  of  New  Mexico  and  the 
ancient  Pueblos  and  Cliff-dwellers.  The  upper  status  of  bar 
barism,  which  in  Europe  was  marked  by  the  manufacture  of 
bronze,  in  America  was,  according  to  Mr.  Morgan,  occupied  by 


Fig.  IS — Monitor  Pipes  from  Ohio  and  Iowa. 

the  Aztecs.  Civilization  commenced  with  the  use  of  the  alpha 
bet,  manufacture  of  iron,  and  building  with  sculptured  stone,  and 
was  in  America  occupied  by  the  Toltecs,  Nahuas,  Mayas,  and 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Peru.  To  these  may  be  ascribed  the 
ancient  cities  of  Central  America  in  which  pyramids,  and  palaces, 
shrines  and  temples  were  very  common,  and  idol  pillars  were  the 
best  specimens  of  art. 

The  history  of  social  development  is  also  learned  from  the 
relics;  those  from  each  part  of  the  continent  illustrate  a  different 
period  of  advancement.  We  take  up  the  relics  as  they  come  to 
us  from  the  different  parts  of  the  continent,  and  we  read  in  them 
a  story  about  the  progress  of  mankind  and  see  striking  illustra 
tions  of  the  different  periods  or  stages.  Mr.  Morgan  has  given 
us  some  hints  as  to  the  line  of  progress  and  as  to  the  tests.  He 
says:  Through  the  long  period  of  savagery  stone  and  bone 
implements,  cane  and  splint  baskets,  skin  garments,  the  village 
consisting  of  clustered  houses,  boatcraft,  including  bark  and 
dug-out  canoes,  the  spear  pointed  with  flint,  and  the  war-club, 


357 

flint  implements  of  the  ruder  kinds,  the  organization  into  gentes, 
the  system  of  totemism  with  the  consanguine  family  and  the 
mother  right  prevalent,  monosyllabic  language,  gesture  signs, 
picture  writing,  the  worship  of  the  elements  in  the  lowest  form, 
fetichism  and  cannibalism.  In  the  lower  period  of  barbarism 
the  cultivation  of  maize,  beans,  squash  and  tobacco,  finger  weav 
ing  with  warp  and  wool,  the  moccasin,  legging  and  kilt  of  tanned 
deer  skin,  use  of  feathers  for  ornaments,  and  the  pipe,  the  village 


Fig.  13.— Bird  Pipe  from  Stone  Grave. 

stockade  for  defense,  tribal  games,  worship  of  animals  and  the 
elements,  organization  of  confederacies,  government  by  a  council 
of  chiefs.  During  the  middle  period  native  metals  were  intro 
duced,  such  as  copper  and  lead  in  its  native  state,  native  iron  or 
brown  hematite,  and  occasionally  the  beaten  silver  and  gold, 
beaten  into  thin  plates,  ornamental  pottery,  polished  flint  and 
stone  implements,  woven  fabrics  of  cotton  and  other  vegetable 
fiber,  the  embryo  loom,  the  construction  of  earth-works  in  the 
shape  of  fortresses,  the  erection  of  pyramids,  the  worship  of  the 


Fig.  Ik  —Stone  Whistles  from  Tennessee. 


sun 


introduction  of  a  priesthood,  erection  of  estufas  or  rotundas 
for  religious  worship,  separation  of  the  caciques  and  the  govern 
mental  houses  from  those  of  the  common  people,  the  introduc 
tion  of  extensive  agriculture  in  fields  rather  than  in  enclosures. 
The  upper  period,  distinguished  by  commune  houses  with  walls 
of  adobe,  dressed  stone  laid  in  courses,  cyclopean  walls,  lake- 
dwellers  constructed  on  piles,  knowledge  of  native  metals,  the 
use  of  charcoal  and  crucible,  bronze  relics  in  Europe,  copper 
relics  in  America,  ornamented  pottery  in  colors  and  with  symbols, 
art  of  weaving  advanced  to  a  high  state,  domestic  animals  intro 
duced,  cultivation  by  irrigation  with  reservoirs  and  irrigating 
canals,  the  worship  of  the  sky,  with  personal  and  animal  gods, 


358 

as  guardians  as  parts  of  the  sky,  a  priesthood  distinguished  by 
its  costume,  government  by  chiefs  who  were  also  priests,  the 
beginning  of  hierarchy. 

Here  we  would  call  attention  again  to  the  Mound-builders. 
We  have  already  divided  the  Mound-builders'  territory  into 
several  districts  and  have  confined  the  different  classes  uf  Mound- 
builders  to  certain  limited  habitats,  but  we  must  remember  that 
the  same  kind  of  works  found  in  these  districts  extend  in  limited 
numbers  into  other  districts.  Within  the  districts  the  relics  and 
the  earth-works  so  correspond  that  we  may  decide  as  to  the  mode 
of  life,  the  grade  of  culture,  means  of  subsistence,  social  organi 
zation  and  religious  system  which  prevailed;  but  without  the 
district  they  are  exceptional  and  can  not  be  regarded  as  indices 
of  the  cultus  which  prevailed.  The  presence  of  these  excep- 


Fig.  15.- Clay  Pipe  from  Indiana. 

tional  works  and  their  associated  relics  in  the  midst  of  others  has 
been  supposed  by  some  to  prove  the  migrations  of  the  Mound- 
builders  through  certain  districts  before  they  reached  their  hab 
itat;  but  the  evidence  is  unsatisfactory,  for  the  line  of  migration 
as  thus  indicated  is  but  a  short  one  and  gives  us  no  hint  as  to 
their  original  home  or  starting  point.  There  is  always  an  uncer 
tainty  in  regard  to  the  direction—  whether  it  indicates  a  line  to 
or  from  the  habitat,  while  the  relics  of  the  different  districts  are 
similar. 

We  give  a  series  of  cuts  here  to  illustrate  the  different  charac 
ter  of  the  relics  in  the  different  districts.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
the  pipes  of  the  Ohio  Mound-builders  were  without  any  stem; 
bowl  and  stem  were  carved  out  of  one  piece.  See  Fig.  12.  The 
same  kind  of  pipes  are  found  in  Illinois  and  Iowa.  The  pipes 
from  Indiana,  from  the  stone  graves  and  the  southern  Mound- 
builders  were  designed  for  stems.  Some  of  them  had  a  small 
orifice,  and  were  carved  into  frogs  and  ducks.  Figs.  7-13.  These 
we  call  calumets,  for  they  remind  us  of  the  modern  pipes  in 
which  the  natural  head  of  a  bird  is  used,  and  which  has  the  stem 
trimmed  with  feathers  of  various  kinds.  The  so-called  Cherokee 
pipe  is  one  which  resembles  the  modern  clay  pipe,  the  stem  and 


359 

bowl  being  made  of  one  stone,  but  both  are  round  and  trumpet 
shaped.  There  are  many  carved  pipes,  both  at  the  south  and 
at  the  north,  some  of  which  are  made  of  clay  and  some  of  stone, 
a  specimen  of  which  is  given  in  Fig.  19,  from  Indiana.  Mr.  C.  C. 
Jones  calls  these  calumets,  but  they  seem  to  have  been  used  by 
all  of  the  tribes  of  modern  Indians,  as  well  as  by  the  ancient 
Mound-builders,  and  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  having  such  a 
sacred  character  as, a  calumet. 

The  copper  implements  represented  in  Plate  V  are  from  Wis 
consin  and  Ohio.  These  show  the  difference  between  hunters 
and  agriculturists.  The  Wisconsin  relics  are  knives,  spears,  and 
arrows;  the  Ohio  relics  are  chisels,  awls,  needles,  a  few  spades 
and  spears.  There  are  copper  relics  in  Iowa,  but  they  are  mainly 


Fig.  16.— Chunky  Stones. 

axes.  In  Tennessee  copper  spools  are  very  numerous.  Copper 
relics  in  Georgia  are  wrought  into  winged  figures.  We  see  the 
cultus  of  the  different  classes  of  Mound-builders  in  the  copper 
relics. 

The  chunky  stones  represented  in  Fig.  1 6  are  from  Ohio.  They 
have  been  described  by  Squier  and  Davis.  Such  stones  are  very 
numerous  in  Tennessee  and  in  the  Gulf  States.  The  chunky 
stones  of  Illinois  are  much  smaller  and  not  as  deeply  dished. 
They  may  have  been  used  for  a  different  purpose,  and  so  are  not 
properly  called  chunky  stones. 

The  maces  and  badges  represented  in  Plate  VI  are  from  Ohio 
and  Tennessee.  Maces  like  these  have  been  found  as  far  south 
as  Florida,  as  far  north  as  Minnesota,  though  rarely  in  the  prairie 
regions.  They  show  the  cultus  of  the  Mound-builders  of  all 
regions.  Illustrations  of  .specimens  of  pottery  of  St.  Francis 
River  may  be  seen  in  Plate  VII.  In  this  we  have  a  figure  of  a 


360 

serpent,  of  a  fish,  a  nondescript  animal,  of  the  cross,  suastika, 
concentric  circles.  All  of  the  specimens  are  bottles  or  water 
carriers.  These  have  been  described  by  Prof.  W.  B.  Potter,  and 
are  now  in  the  historical  rooms  of  St.  Louis. 

Every  effort  to  identify  the  cultus  of  any  known  tribe  of 
Indians  with  that  of  a  distinct  district  must  be  taken  as  largely 
made  up  of  conjecture.  We  do  not  consider  that  there  is  the 
same  uncertainty  in  reference  to  the  Mound  builders'  cultus,  for 
the  following  reasons:  i.  Within  their  habitat  the  Mound-build 
ers  of  each  class  impressed  their  entire  life  upon  their  works,  and 
they  shew  exactly  the  grade  of  advancement  they  reached,  the 
mode  of  life  they  followed,  the  type  of  religion  they  exercised, 
and  the  form  of  government  they  adopted,  at  a  certain  period  of 
time,  and  we  may  take  the  picture  which  is  furnished  as  a  tolera 
bly  correct  one.  2.  The  association  of  the  relics  with  the  works 
is  an  additional  fact.  These  relics  may  be  made  from  materials 
brought  from  other  districts,  and  so  prove  an  ancient  intercourse 
and  an  ancient  aboriginal  trade,  but  when  they  are  found  in  the 
district  they  show  the  cultus  which  prevailed  elsewhere.  It  is 
worthy  of  notice,  however,  that  generally  the  raw  material  is 
brought  from  diverse  and  distant  localities,  but  when  it  reaches 
the  district  it  receives  the  stamp  of  the  people  of  that  district 
In  this  way  the  flint  and  the  stone  and  the  shell  and  the  copper 
may  be  mined  in  other  places  and  traded  or  carried,  but  the 
arrows,  the  spears,  the  pipes,  the  copper  implements  and  shell 
ornaments  show  in  their  finish  and  form  the  very  people  or  dis 
trict  to  which  they  belonged.  This  enables  us  to  identify  them 
not  only  as  the  handiwork  of  the  ancient  inhabitants,  but  also  as 
that  of  the  inhabitants  of  a  particular  locality  or  district. 

Illustrations  of  these  points  are  very  numerous.  We  have 
only  to  go  over  the  Mound-builders'  territory  and  recognize  the 
different  earth-works  distributed  there,  and  then  take  the  relics 
gathered  from  each  locality  and  group  them  properly,  remem 
bering  the  association  with  the  earth -works  and  their  correlation 
to  the  scenery,  and  we  have  a  picture  of  the  cultus  of  each  class 
of  Mound-builders  both  definite  and  reliable. 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  Dr.  C.  C.,  2,  3,  61,  290. 

Adair,  146. 

Adams  Co.,  111.,  Serpent  Effigy  in,  123. 

Adams  Co.,  Ohio,  Serpent  Effigy  in,  122. 

Agricultural  Tools,  36. 

Agricultural  Races,  65,  354. 

Alabama,  Mounds  in,  170, 178. 

Aleutian  Islands,  5. 

Alexandersville,  O.,  86, 138,  264,  2C5. 

Algonquins,  21,  64, 116. 

Alleghany  River,  115. 

Alleghans,  Traditions  of,  116, 124. 

Alligator  Mound,  Granville,  O.,  230. 

Altar  Mounds  and  Ash  Heaps,  309-336. 

Altars,  47, 124,  231,  242,  243,  260,  309. 

Ameghino,  7. 

American  Antiquarian,  3,  6, 237. 

Anderson,  W.  H  ,  72. 

Anderson,  Ind.,  258. 

Andrews,  E.  B.,  76. 

Animal  Effigies,  71,  227,  228. 

Animal  Worship,  225-231. 

Animism  and  Burial  Mounds,  223-226. 

Antiquity  of  Mounds,  31-53, 138. 

Appalachian  Mountains,  27,  215. 

Argyleshire,  84. 

Arka  sas,  Mounds  in,  122, 145,  215,  217. 

Arrow-heads,  274. 

Armstrong,  R.  B.,  72. 

Ash-heaps,  205,  309,  325. 

Ashland  County,  O.,  Forts  in,  193. 

Ashtabula,  O.,  Mounds  at,  192. 

Atwater,  Caleb,  52,  88,  90, 135,  252. 

Athens,  O.,  Mounds  at,  76. 

Auriferous  Gravels,  4. 

Avebury,  249. 

Aztecs,  76, 108, 188,  232. 

Aztlan,  Wis.,170, 171. 


Babbit,  Miss  F.  E.,  2. 
Baldwin,  C.  C.,  9. 
Banner  Stones,  37,  290. 
Barber,  E.  A.,  285. 
Barton,  Prof.,  40. 
Bartram,  146,  259. 
Basques,  2, 109. 
Baum  Works,  126. 
Bavaria,  Caves  in,  8. 
Baxter,  J.  H.,  190. 
Beacon  Mounds,  189. 
Beauchamp,  Rev.  Wm.,  137. 194. 
Beehive  Tombs,  115, 127, 128. 
Beloit,  Wis.,  Mound  at,  71. 
Berthoud,  E.  L.,  13. 


Biukley,  S.  H.,  208,  270. 

Big  Harpeth,  Tenn.,  216,  267. 

Big  Twin  Works.  207,  270. 

Bird-shaped  Amulets,  285, 289. 

Blackmore  Museum,  284. 

Blackwater  Group,  238. 

Black  Hawk,  136. 

Bliss,  L.  O.,  289. 

Blumer,  Rev.  A.,  12,  46. 

Bolivar  County,  Miss.,  Pyramids  in,  176. 

Bourneville,  O.,  Works  at,  115,  155, 192,  210. 

Bowers,  Dr.  Stephen,  9,  61. 

Boyle  on  Canadian  Relics,  291. 

Brackenridge,  J.  M.,  157, 160. 

Brinton,  Dr.  D.  G.,  102, 121. 

British  Columbia,  Mounds  in,  341. 

Bronze  Age,  33,  300. 

Brooding  Ornaments,  285. 

Brown,  Rev.  E.  D.,  10. 

Brush  Creek,  85, 139. 

Buffalo  Bones,  50. 

Buffalo  and  Indians,  The,  49-55. 

Burial  Mounds,  59-74,  Map. 

Burial  Rites,  52,  76,  324. 

Burmeister,  8. 


Caesar's  Forts,  186. 

Caches,  103,  826. 

Cahokia  Mound,  157, 172, 178. 

Calaveras  Skull,  5,  8. 

California  Relics,  11,  34, 105. 

Cambridge,  O.,  Mounds  in,  86. 

Canadian  Relics,  290. 

Cane  Mats,  347. 

Captives,  255. 

Carlisle  Fort,  209. 

Carr,  Lucien,  126. 

Cartier,  Jacques,  19,  280. 

Cass  County,  111.,  Mounds  in,  233,  242. 

Catawba  Indians,  128,  Map. 

Cave  dwellers,  8, 10. 

Catlin,  J.  C.,121. 

Catlinite  Pipes,  30,  329,  330. 

Cedar  Banks,  Works  at,  89,  268,  269. 

Celts,  77. 

Chambered  Mounds,  75,  223-226. 

Champlain  Epoch,  32. 

Charlestown,  Ind.,  86. 

Chattahoochie  River,  Mounds  on,  178. 

Chattanooga,  179. 

Charlevoix,  50. 

Chellean  Epoch,  32. 

Cherokees,  97, 110, 116, 118, 120, 125, 131, 235. 

Chinese  Portraits,  276. 


Chlllicotbe,  Ohio,  Works  at.  85. 156. 191. 

Chisels,  77,867. 

Chocta ws, 29,  Map. 

Chunky  Stones,  39. 

Chunky  Yards,  14ft. 

Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Works  at,  85, 117. 

-s  and  Mounds,  80, 138, 149, 188, 252, 255. 

Circleville,  Ohio,  Works  at,  96, 299. 

Circle  and  Crescent,  211, 239, 289. 

Cisco,  J.  G.,  1W. 

dsts,  Stone,  77, 112. 

Civilization,  337, 368. 

Clan  Emblems,  _- 

Clans  among  the  Mound-builders,  141, 144, 
tft, 

Clark  County,  Indiana.  212. 

Clarke,  Robert, 

Clark,  Gen.  G.  R.,  185. 

Clark's  Works, 88  95. 196, 197. 

Clay  Pipes,  358. 

-.and,  Ohio,  192. 

Cliff-dwellers,  34, 36, 144. 

in  Mounds,  52, 69, 347, 234. 

Coleraine  Works.  95, 198. 

Collet,  Dr.  John,  41. 

Colorado,  341. 

Conant,  A.  C..  167. 

Concentric  Circles,  135, 256. 

Constructed  Circles,  2S7. 

Cook  Farm,  Mound*  on,  233. 

Copper  Relics— Awls,  67,  234:  Axes,  40,  43, 
4ft.  52,  69;  Beads,  234,  267;  Bell,  333; 
Chisels,  234;  Crescents,  247;  Crosses, 
266,  332;  Disks,  248;  Mats,  52;  Mines, 
35,  349;  Plates,  51,  52,  349;  Rings,  312 
332;  Spools.  234. 2»,  239, 261, 266. 

Coves  and  Altars,  251. 

Covered  Ways,  93. 

Coxe,  E.T.,348. 

Crania  of  Mound-builders,  230, 361. 

Crawford  County,  Wisconsin,  225. 
s  Indians.  131.  M  p. 

Cremation  in  Mounds,  260. 

Cremation  Places,  260. 

Crescent  Earth-worts,  228, 256. 

Crescent  Pavements,  282, 269. 

Cultus  of  the  Mound-builders,  133-148. 

Cup  Marks,  295. 

Cuyaboga,  191. 


Dakota,  Mounds  in,  24, 62. 67, 114, 142. 

Dakota*,  The,  29, 64, 85, 113, 118, 120, 139, 142, 

Dall,  W.  H.,  11. 

Date  of  Mound-builders,  31-50. 

Davenport  Academy,  12,  41,  45, 58, 68. 

Davenport  Mounds,  43  07. 

Davenport  Pipes,  41, 288. 

Davenport  Tablets,  43, 48. 

Davis,  Dr.  J.  E.,  125. 

Daw  son.  Sir  William,  : 

Dayton,  Ohio,  Works  at,  138,  H8. 

Deans,  James,  61. 


DeBry.  165. 
Defensive  Walls,  92. 
Defensive  Works,  185,  220. 


Denmark,  Mounds  in,  60. 

DesMoine-  136. 

DeSoto,  -JO,  101. 

Detroit,  Michigan,  Mound?  ' 

Different  Races,  52,  65,  Map. 

Digging  Implements,  332,  354. 

Dille,  J 

Districts,  Different,  62.  Map 

•f  Territory.  15,  23,  62,  Map. 
Domestic  Pottery  107,339,348. 
Dordogne  Oaves,  14. 
Dorsey,  Rev.  J.  O.,  121. 
Double  Mounds,  43. 
Douglas,  A.  E.,  38. 
Druids,  247,  249,  268,  288,  300. 
Duck  Pipes,  856. 
Danlap's  Works,  89,  140. 


Eagles,  Copper,  52. 

East  Tennessee.  Works  in,  118. 

East  St,  Louis,  Works  at,  166. 

East  Dubuque,  Works  at,  22 . 

Effigy  Mounds,  71. 227, 250. 

Egypt,  Relics  in,  1. 

Elephant  Pipes,  13, 41. 

Eleuslnian  Mysteries,  248. 

Elks,  227. 

E! yria,  Ohio,  Caves  at,  9. 

Enclosures  in  Ohio,  18,  26, 51-56. 

Eskimos,  5. 

Ethnological  Bureau,  187. 
Ktowah  Mound.  164, 179. 
Etowah,  Georgia,  Works  at,  179. 
Europe,  Mounds  in,  16, 60. 
European  Faces  and  Pipes  - 
Evansville,  Indiana,  Works  at,  170. 
Exeter  Vase,  142. 
Excelsior,  Minnesota,  Mounds  at,  06. 


Falling  Gardens,  166-167. 

Farm  ers vi  He  Fort,  209. 

Featherstoneaugh,  168. 

Female  Heads,  108. 

Fire  Beds,  88, 115, 287, 802, 312, 313, 

Fire  Worship,  172, 231-237. 

Flat  Pipes,  283-284. 

Flint,  Dr.  Earl,  6. 

Flint  Disks,  316. 

Flint  Daggers,  104, 353. 

Flint  Ridge,  36, 97. 

Flint  Hoes,  354. 

Florida,  Relics  in.  38. 

Florida,  Works  in,  35,  Map. 

Fontaine,  Dr.  E.,  13, 178. 

Fon»l.  178. 

Fort  Ancient,  203, 241. 


INDEX.I 


367 


Fort  Hill,  201,  266. 

Fort  in  Clark  County,  Indiana,  212. 

Forts  near  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

Forts  on  Miami  River,  196. 

Forts  on  the  Scioto  River,  210. 

Fortified  Hill,  206. 

Fortified  Villages,  148, 194. 

Foster,  Dr.  J.  W.,  13. 

Foxes,  The,  237. 

Fox  River,  Mounds  on,  2:>. 

French  Portrait,  276. 

French  Classification,  31. 

Frog  Pipes,  353. 


Galena,  Illinois,  Mounds  at,  65. 

Game  Drives,  138. 

Garci  lasso  de  la  Vega,  180,  345. 

Garden  Beds,  35. 

Gasconade  County,  Missouri,  11,  39. 

Gateways,  151, 199, 204,  212. 

Geographical  Divisions,  23,  62,  Map. 

Geography  of  Religion,  222. 

Geological  Period,  33. 

Georgia,  Mounds  in,  35,  180. 

Gilman,  Henry,  74. 

Glacial  Periods,  4. 

Gold  Ornament,  38. 

Gorgets,  Shell,  128,  264,  305. 

Graded  Ways,  153, 175. 

Grades  of  Culture,  136,  353-356. 

Granville,  Ohio,  Mounds  at,  155, 195,  230. 

Grave  Creek  Mound,  76, 114. 

Graves  of  Indians,  324,  335. 

Great  Miami  River,  189, 196. 

Grotesque  Portraits,  277. 


Habitation  Mounds,  214,  264. 

Haldeman,  S.  S.,  8. 

Halbert,  H.  S.,  2o9. 

Hale,  Dr.  Horatio,  121. 

Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  197. 

Hardinsburg  Fort,  Ohio,  116. 

Harris,  Rev.  Dr.,  91. 

Hearths,  209. 

Heg,  J.  G.  Col.,  72. 

Henshaw,  H.  W.,  47,  61. 

Hieroglyphics,  44. 

High  Bank,  87,  149. 

Highland  County,  Ohio,  190. 

Hill  Forts,  20(3-211. 

Hilgard,  E.  W.,  13. 

Hill,  H.  H.,  Dr.,  295. 

Hill  Mounds,  188. 

Historic  and  Prehistoric  Relics,  273-292. 

Hochelaga,  138, 146. 

Hocking  Creek,  85. 

Hoes  and  Spades,  35,  275, 355. 

Hoflman,  W.  J.,  187. 

Holden,  J.  B.,  40. 

Holmes,  Dr.,  13. 

Holmes,  W.  H.,  187. 


Homer,  59. 

Hopeton,  Ohio,  :,1,  8!),  149,  255,  26<i. 

Horn  Handles,  104. 

Horse-shoe  Symbol,  207,  249,  303. 

Hoy,  Dr.  J.  E.,  72. 

Hubbard,  Hon.  Bela,  74. 

Hudson,  Dr.,  62. 

Human  Sacrifice,  298. 

Hunter  Tribes,  63-64,  225. 

Hurons,  279. 


Ice  Sheet  and  Paleolithic  Man,  5. 

Idaho,  Relics  from,  6,  36. 

Illinois,  Mounds  in,  17,  24,  53,  56-57,  63,  67, 

69, 122, 130, 158,  224,  236,  242,  302,  306. 
Illinois  River,  Mounds  on,  52, 56-57,  242. 
Images,  Pottery,  108. 
Images,  Stone,  100, 105. 
Implements  of  Bone,  326. 
Indiana,  Mounds  in,  24,  41,  63,  86,  212,  235, 

257,261,  264. 

Indian  and  Mound-builder's  Relics,  272-292. 
Indian  Burials,  313. 
Indian  Hunters,  100. 
Indian  Migrations,  113-132,  337,  Map. 
Indian  Portraits,  103. 
Indian  Relics,  272,  275,  280. 
Indians  and  Mound  builders,  50-58. 
Indian  Traditions,  120, 125, 130, 137, 140, 142, 

144, 165,  229,  232,  237,  247,  281,  345. 
Indian  Villages,  55, 135, 141. 
Inscribed  Tablets,  48. 
Intruded  Burials,  124. 

Iowa,  Mounds  in,  24,  53,  63,  67,  130, 224, 235-6. 
lowas,  129,  Map. 
Iroquois,  26, 119, 129,  226,  279,  282. 
Iron  in  Mounds,  318. 


Jade,  36. 

Johnson,  H.  L.,  108. 
Jones,  C.  C.,  Hon.,  30, 190. 
Jones,  Dr.  Joseph,  216. 


Kaskaskia,  101,  165. 

Kenawha  Valley,  27, 115, 131,  258. 

Kentucky,  58,  41. 

Keokuk,  136. 

Kickapoos,  Map.  4 

Kinney,  T.  W.,  250. 

Kitchen  Middens,  8,  327. 

Knife  Handles,  318. 

Knives,  104. 

Koch,  Dr.,  39. 

Kolee  Mokee,  183. 

Koshkonong,  71. 

Kunz,  G.  F.,  38. 


Lake-dwellings,  34. 
Lake  Michigan,  23. 


3(18 


INDEX. 


Lake  Regions,  16,  Map. 
Lapham,  Dr.  J.  A.,  189. 
La  Salle,  56 

Leaf-shaped  Implements,  242. 
Lena  River,  14. 
Leni  Lenape,  121. 
Lewis,  T.  H.,  10. 
Limestone  Pipe,  328-330,  332. 
Limestone  Tablet,  331. 
Lockwood,  Prof.  Samuel,  40. 
Lodge  Circles,  145,  216. 
Lookout  Mounds,  187-192. 
Louisa  County,  Iowa,  12. 
Louisiana,  Pyramids  in,  175, 178. 
Lower  Canada,  278. 
Lower  Mississippi,  174. 
Lund,  Prof.,  8. 
Lyons,  Sidney,  58. 

Maces,  287. 

Macon,  Georgia,  182. 

Madisonville,  Ohio,  321. 

Mahadeo,  293. 

Malayp,  116. 

Mallorx,  Col.  G.,  187. 

Manchester,  Tennessee,  220. 

Mandan  Villages,  216. 

Manitou,  165. 

Marietta,  Ohio,  83,  89,  91, 152. 

Marine  Shells,  266. 

Marquette,  168. 

Masks,  228. 

Mason,  O.  T.,  211. 

Massie's  Creek,  211,  241. 

Mastodon,  12-13,  32,  39,  41. 

Mattiog,  12. 

Me  Adams,  William,  162. 

Messier  Mound,  182. 

Metz,  C.  L.,  324. 

Mexican  Semblances,  180, 

Mexico,  34,  36. 

Miami  River,  116, 156,  256,  265. 

Miamisburg,  Ohio,  86, 191. 

Mica  Crescents,  262, 298. 

Mica  Mines,  35. 

Michigan,  Mines  in,  350. 

Micos  Cabin,  145. 

Middle  District,  114-132. 

Middle  Tennessee,  104. 

Military  Works,  25. 

Miners'  Tools,  350. 

Mines,  350.   • 

M  i  sissippi  Pottery,  347. 

Mississippi,  Pyramids  In,  172-177. 

Mississippi  River,  42, 157. 

Mississippi  Valley,  62. 

Missouri,  Mastodon  in,  :;'.». 

Missouri  Pottery,  106. 

Missouri  River,  Mounds  on,  114. 

Mitchell  Station,  57. 

Moquis,236. 

Moline,  Illinois,  52,  69,  233. 

Monk's  Mound,  l(j('>. 

Moon  Cult,  237-244. 


Morgan,  L.  H.,  143,  353. 

Moorehead,  W.  K.,  50,  203,  242. 

Mormon's  Work,  48. 

Mortar,  5. 

Mound-builders'  Age,  15,  31,  Cult,  133-148; 
Forts,  198,  212;  Houses,  147;  Idols,  207; 
Images,  108;  Implements,  135;  Migra 
tions,  113-128;  Mines,  350;  Pipes,  278, 
291,  330,  353-358;  Pottery,  102-112,  279, 
326,  334,  340,  346;  Races,  20, 309-360;  Rel 
ics,  21,  65,  266,  271-292;  Religion,  221- 
244;  Skulls,  225;  Tablets,  42-46,  48,  303, 
822;  Writing,  44. 

Mound  City,  243,  262,  298,309. 

Mounds  in  Alabama,  170;  Arkansas,  122, 
145,  215,  217;  Dakota,  24,  42,  62,  67,  114; 
Florida,  35,  38;  Georgia,  28,  55,  77,  179, 
180, 183,  352;  Illinois,  17,  24,  52-53,  56-57, 
63,  67-69,  122-123,  130,  158,  224,  236,  242, 
296,  302,  304,  306;  Indiana,  24,  41,  49,  63, 
86,  212,  235,  257,  261,  264;  Iowa,  24,  42,  47, 
53,  63,  67,  130,  233-234;  Kentucky,  58, 
138;  Louisiana,  173-174;  Michigan,  25, 
74;  Minnesota,  24,  63,  67;  Mississippi, 
170, 173, 176-177,  346;  Missouri,  25, 39, 75, 
164;  New  York,  25,  194;  North  Caro 
lina,  27;  Ohio,  26,  51,  54,  83-96,  115,  122, 
133-138,  153-156, 188-192,  230,  238-240,  249- 
256,  264-265,  309-336;  Tennessee,  28,  97- 
112, 118, 128, 141,216,356;  West  Vi.ginia 
25,  114,  124,  259;  Wisconsin,  23,  42,  49, 
71,  130,  171,  225. 

Mounds,  Altar,  47,  124,  231,  242,  260,  297,  309- 
324. 

Mounds,  Beacon,  191. 

Mounds,  Burial,  23,  27,  42,  58,  Map. 

Mounds,  Chambered,  110, 124,  223. 

Mounds.  Cremation,  299. 

Mounds,  Conical,  265. 

Mounds,  Domiciliary,  343. 

Mounds,  Effigy,  23,  69,  227,  250. 

Mounds,  Fire,  111,  192,  233. 

Mounds,  Great,  117,  164,  177,  264,  348. 

Mounds,  High,  117, 164, 177. 

Mounds,  Hill,  119, 188. 

Mounds,  Lookout,  64. 

Mounds,  Maps  of,  17  18,  22,  47,  58,  69,  94,  115, 
174,  189,  263. 

Mounds,  Northern,  341. 

Mounds,  Observatory,  152. 

Mounds,  Oblong,  243. 

Mounds,  Platform,  27,  83,  150. 

Mounds,  Pyramid,  29,  157-184. 

Mounds,  Sacrificial,  93,  256. 

Mounds,  Serpeut,  122,  296. 

Mo  mds,  Signal,  189. 

Mounds,  Stratified,  53,  56,  225,  235,  244,  313. 

Mounds,  Symbolic-,  252,  -Jti!». 

Mounds,  Terraced,  160, 17::,  2,'59. 

Mounds,  Truncated,  2t;5 

Muscatine  Slough,  17,  68,  233. 

Muscogees,  100,  Map. 

Mu*kingum,85. 115,  256 


INDEX. 


Name,  Mound-builder,  16. 

Naming  Periods,  33. 

Nampa  Image,  6. 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  101-105, 122. 

Natchez,  29, 100, 118. 

Nature  Worship,  221-233. 

Neanderthal  Skull,  5. 

Neolithic  Age,  31. 

Neolithic  Caves.  7-9. 

Newark,  O.  86, 152,  263. 

Newbuig,  O.,  193. 

Newburg  Mastodon,  39. 

New  Madrid,  106. 

New  York  Pipes,  277,  283. 

Nicaragua  Footprints,  6. 

North  Carolina,  Mounds  in,  27, 115, 128. 

Northern  Georgia,  28, 129. 

Number  of  Mounds,  20. 


Oakland,  California,  61. 

Observatory  Mound,  163. 

Obsidian,  33,  261. 

Ocmulgee  River,  173-182. 

Ohio,  Defences  in,  198-204. 

Ohio,  Mounds  in,  84,  92, 119, 122, 126, 137, 138, 

152, 188, 192,  206,  288. 
Ohio,  Relics  in,  34,  233,  242,261,  268,  278,  282, 

291,  315-321. 

Ohio  River,  Mounds  in,  113-120. 
Ohio  Villages,  150-156. 
Oregon  Relics,  105. 
Osages,  228,  Map. 
Otter  Pipe,  356. 


Packard,  A.  S.,  293. 

Pa'nesville,  O.,  74. 

Paint  Creek,  O.,  85,  87, 115, 197,  256,  298. 

Paleolithic  Age,  31, 32. 

Paleolithic  Relics,  8, 12. 

Panther  Pipe,  110. 

Parallel  Walls,  151. 

Patrick,  Dr.  J.  R.,  163. 

Paved  Altars,  315. 

Pavements,  204, 209,  262,  257. 

Pearls,  318,  322. 

Peru,  338. 

Pestles,  5. 

Phallic  Worship,  300. 

Phene,  Dr.  J.  W.,  190. 

Piassa,  165. 

Pigmies,  97. 

Piketon,  154. 

Pipe  Stone  Quarry,  35. 

Platform  Mounds,  263. 

Pomeiock,  145. 

Portrait  Pipes,  283. 

Portraits,  106. 

Portsmouth,  O.,  88.  85,  94,  248,  2-55. 

Pottery,  102-112,  279. 

Pottery  Heads,  109. 

Pottery  in  Ash  Pits,  325. 


Pottery  in  Vessels,  326,  339,  344,  346. 

Powell,  Maj.  J.  W.,  5. 

Prairie  du  Chien,  73 

Prairie,  Jefferson,  174. 

Pra  rie  Mounds, 63,  Map. 

Pro  to-historic,  271,  281. 

Proudfit,  Dr.J.V.,190. 

Pueblos,  106,  354. 

Pulleys,  354. 

Putnam,  Prof.  F.  W.,  165,  235 

Pyramid  Builders,  114, 132, 157-184,  307. 

Pyramid  Mounds,  157-184,  Map. 


Quincy,  111.,  67, 123,  296,  304. 


Races  Among  Mound-builders,  20. 

Racine,  Wis.,  73. 

Rau,  Dr.  Charles,  9. 

Reed,  M.  C.,  10. 

Red  River,  63. 

Red  Wing,  Minn.,  67. 

Religious  Works,  221-237. 

Relics,  21,  266,  271-292. 

River,  Rouge,74. 

Rock  Island,  67. 

Rotundas,  145, 161,  255. 


Sacred  Enclosures,  81-96,  252,  Map. 

Sacrificial  Mounds,  93,  314. 

Sacs  and  Foxes,  237. 

Saddle-shaped  Stone,  286. 

Salamander  Vessel,  326. 

Salt  Springs,  348. 

Sand  Stone  Pipe,  328. 

Savannah,  Tenn.,  170,  343. 

Seal  Township,  89,  239. 

Scepters,  105. 

Schoolcraft,  H.  R.,  119. 

Scioto  River,  87, 115, 119. 

Scioto  Valley,  Map  of,  18. 

Scrolls  and  Spear-heads,  322. 

Sea  Shells,  75. 

Seltzer,  Township,  Miss.,  177. 

Serpe  .t  Effigy,  296. 

Serpent  Mounds,  122, 123. 

Serpent  Pipe,  302,  332. 

Serpent  Symbol,  265,  304,  322. 

Serpent  Worship,  95. 

Shaler,  Prof.  E-  M.,  41. 

Shawnees,  100, 119,  Map. 

Shell  Beads,  33,  235,  243. 

Shelled  Corn,  325. 

Shell  Gorgets,  128, 132,  305. 

Shell  Heaps,  10,  38,67. 

Shell  Ornaments,  301. 

Shelter  Cave,  9. 

Short,  Prof.  J.  T.,  171. 

Shoulder  Bone  Creek,  180. 

Sickles,  36. 

Signal  System,  188. 


370 


INDEX. 


Silver  in  Mounds,  36,  56,  319. 

Silver  Ornaments,  38. 

Silvery  Mica,  127,  244,  262,  314. 

Snakes,  297. 

Snyder,  Dr.,  242. 

Solar  Cult,  245-247. 

South  Carolina,  131. 

Southern  Indians.  145,  345. 

Spool  Ornaments,  266. 

Squier  &  Davis,  87,  88,  125,  131,  235. 

St.  Acheul,  2." 

Standing  Stone,  59. 

St.  Louis,  157. 

Stockades,  193-195. 

Stockade  Villages,  38, 142,  192. 

Stone  Forts,  141, 147,  211,  342 

Stone  Grave  People,  97-112. 

Stone  Mounds,  212,  214,  312. 

Stone  Vaults,  76. 

Sugar  Loaf,  160. 

Sun  Circles,  251-259. 

Sun  Symbols,  252,  260. 

Sun  Worship,  85, 125,  164,  251,  259,  267. 

Swamp  Villages,  145. 

Swastika,  51, 54, 301. 

Swords  of  Stone,  105 

Symbolism  in  Mounds,  293-308. 

Symbolism,  82,  293. 


Tablets,  42-46,  48,  303,  322. 

Tennessee.  Mounds  in,  97, 102,  112, 128,  141, 

170,  267,  301,  342. 

Terraced  Mounds,  74, 146, 158, 166,  170,  252. 
Terraces,  Mounds  on,  19,  53. 
Thomas,  Dr.  Cyrus,  73, 116. 
Thruston,  Gen.  G.  P.,  99, 190,  267,  296. 


Toad  Pipe,  321. 

Toolsboro,  234. 

Toltec  Gates.  147. 

Toronto  Relics,  291. 

Totems,  22,  72,  225,  227,  229,  230,  250. 

Traditions  of  Indians,  120,  130, 137, 142, 

165,  168,  229,  237,  281. 
Trumpet  Pipe,  281. 
Tube  Pipes,  282. 
Tur  er  Group,  318. 
Turtle  Pipe,  284. 


Upper  Mississippi,  63. 

Urns,  65. 

Utes. 


Vases,  107,  324,  326,  334,  340. 

Vaults,  76, 126. 

Villages  of  Indians,  136, 145, 187,  194,  215. 

Villages  of  Mound-builders,  126,  156,  173- 

194. 
Vincennes.  Ind.,  117, 190,  264. 


Wateree  River,  Mounds  on,  see  Map. 

Workshops,  35. 

Worthington,  O.,  Works  at,  265. 

Woven  Cloth,  319. 

Wyalusing,  42. 

Wyandottes,  26, 129. 


Yucatan,  16. 
Zuni  Indians,  271. 


ERRATA. 


Page  4,  line  44,  for  figure  3  read  figure  4. 

Page  8,  line  5,  for  Contemporanity  read  Contemporaneity. 

Page  ii,  line  39,  for  Brinton  read  Benton. 

Page  37,  line  32,  for  Stoue  read  Stone. 

Page  38,  lines  20  and  40,  for  Silver  read  Gold. 

Page  44,  line  I,  for  Pipes  read  Axes. 

Page  60,  line  6,  for  Orkey  read  Orkney. 

Page  81,  line  2,  for  Serprent  read  Serpent. 

Page  91,  line  18,  for  It  read  Them. 

Page  168,  line  10,  for  Sprerd  read  Spread. 

Page  172,  line  14,  for  Serpeut  read  Serpent. 

Page  211,  line  12,  for  No.  read  Fig. 

Page  229,  line  4,  for  Pleides  read  Plerades. 

Page  293,  line  16,  for  Pakacrd  read  Packard. 

Page  294,  line  20,  for  Mahedeo  read  Mahadeo. 

Page  298,  line  23,  for  Mahedeo  read  Mahadeo. 

Page  352,  line  27,  for  Pattnrns  read  Patterns. 

Page  359,  line  4,  for  nineteen  read  fifteen. 


APPENDIX. 


PALEOLITHICS  AND  DOUBTFUL  FINDS. 

The  finds  of  paleolithic  relics  in  the  gravel  beds  in  Delaware,  Ohio  and 
Minnesota  we  have  spoken  of  (see  Chap.  I,  p.  3)  as  in  accord  with  those 
common  in  Europe,  though  they  do  not  carry  the  age  of  man,  by  any 
means,  as  far  back,  for  they  are  all  post-glacial.  The  Calaveras  skull,  the 
Nampa  image,  we  have  always  questioned  as  being  inconsistent  with  the 
science.  We  are  gratified  to  know  that  other  gentlemen,  among  them  sev 
eral  connected  with  the  government  surveys,  have  candidly  advanced  other 
corrections.  The  paleolithics  of  Delaware  were  from  the  talus  and  not 
from  the  undisturbed  gravel.  Those  in  Minnesota  were  still  more  recent. 
The  Nampa  Image  was  a  clay  toy  made  by  the  Pocatello  Indians.  The 
Calaveras  skull  and  steatite  vessels  were  ;ieft  in  an  old  shaft  by  aborigines 
who  were  miners,  before  the  time  of  Columbus.  We  are  thankful  to  Prof. 
Wright  for  having  given  us  the  information,  but  still  more  thankful  to  the 
Washington  parties  for  making  these  corrections.  We  would,  however, 
respectfully  ask  both  parties  whether  this  involves  an  abandonment  of 
the  paleolithic  age.  That  age  in  Europe  is  made  up  of  three  different 
epochs,  the  last  epoch  post-glacial.  Why  not,  then,  class  the  paleolithc 
with  the  post-glacial  and  acknowledge  it  as  introductory  to  the  neolithic 
in  both  countries.  Mr,  W.  H.  Holmes  maintains  that  the  paleolithic  relics 
were  aboriginal  failures  and  quite  modern,  but  the  finding  of  so  many  of 
them  in  the  gravels  would  indicate  that  they  belonged  to  an  age  preceding 
that  of  the  Mound-builders,  and  so  we  retain  the  term  paleolithic  age. 


RACES  AMONG  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

The  latest  book  on  the  subject  is  one  by  Mr.  Warren  K.  Moorehead.  He 
prepared  this  book  in  the  field,  he  says,  using  some  of  the  material  which 
he  had  gathered  from  the  mounds  in  Southern  Ohio  for  a  basis,  but 
embodying  chapters  written  by  W.  K.  Davis,  Mr.  Gerard  Fowke  and  Dr.  H. 
T.  Cresson;  the  purpose  of  which  is  "to  do  away  with  certain  illusions"  in 
reference  to  the  high  grade  of  civilization  of  the  Mound-builders.  He 
claims  that  books  written  by  certain  "field-writers"  have  a  value  far  in  ex 
cess  of  previous  publications.  The  impression  made  by  the  book  is  so  dif 
ferent  from  that  made  by  other  explorers,  some  of  whom  were  in  the  field 
early  and  some  of  them  quite  recently,  that  we  have  concluded  to  cite  the 
opinions  of  others;  mainly  gentlemen  of  mature  judgment  and  established 
reputation. 

Mr.  Moorehead  draws  the  same  conclusion  that  his  chief,  Prof.  Putnam, 
had  reached  about  the  "two  races,"  but  he  goes  much  further,  and  claims 
that  neither  race  was  raised  above  the  upper  condition  of  "savagery,"  and 
the  title  of  "primitive  man"-  applies  to  both.  The  "long  heads"  waged 
battle  with  the  "short  heads"  for  many  years,  keeping  up  "towns"  as  head- 


374  APPENDIX. 

quarters  to  which  they  might  return.  A  few  villages  of  the  "long  heads" 
have  been  found  in  the  Miami  and  Scioto  Valleys.  He  thinks  that  no 
"short  heads"  entered  their  territory  in  Clinton  and  Clermont  Counties, 
though  Fort  Ancient  is  not  very  far  from  either  county,  where  there  are 
many  stone  graves,  which  he  ascribes  t:>  the  "short  headed"  race.  The 
greatest  village  site  was  just  below  the  walls  of  Fort  Ancient  and  occupied 
the  broad  bottoms  of  the  Little  Miami.  Jn  one  place  he  found  three  village 
sites,  one  above  the  other.  The  lower  burial  site  presented  a  singular  ap 
pearance.  Sixteen  graves  were  opened  in  the  presence  of  1100  people.  The 
two  villages  were  in  existence  before  the  advent  of  the  French  traders. 
Upon  Cresar's  Creek  was  found  a  village  occupying  sixty  or  seventy  acres  of 
ground.  Three  hundred  graves  have  been  opened  near  the  South  Fort,  at 
Fort  Ancient.  In  Oregonia,  in  Warren  County,  he  opened  a  large  cemetery 
in  a  village  site,  of  more  recent  date  than  those  at  Fort  Ancient,  but  the  con 
dition  of  the  graves,  together  with  the  size  of  the  trees  towering  above 
them,  confirmed  the  assertion  of  the  age  of  the  burials.  They  were  proba 
bly  the  people  who  erected  the  walls  of  Fort  Ancient.  The  most  remarkable 
find  was  in  a  Hopewell  mound.  Here  there  were  two  races,  the  "long  head" 
and  "short  head,"  though  he  fails  to  state  which  was  the  earlier. 

Prof  Putnam  speaks  of  the  serpent  mound  in  Adams  county,  Ohio.  He 
says  everything  connected  with  it  points  to  great  antiquity.  The  signs  of 
late  occupation  >  ave  nothing  remarkable,  eimpleash  beds,  where  the  dwell 
ing  stood,  no  elaborate  structures  and  no  special  ceremonies.  A  single  per 
son  buried  with  great  ceremony  in  connection  with  fire.  A  village  site  and 
burial  place  occupy  the  same  area.  Of  the  two  periods  our  explorations 
show  the  serpent  mound  was  built  by  the  first.  Prof.  Putnam  used  the 
word  "Indian"  when  he  described  the  bodies  found  in  the  upper  burials,  and 
the  term  "Mound-builders"  when  speaking  of  the  ancient  burial?. 


SKULLS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

The  thought  gives  rise  to  the  question,  what  were  the  characteristics  of  the 
Mound-builder's  skull  1  Nadaillac says  that  we  a^e  able  to  establish  certain 
"general  characteristics  of  the  Mound-builders;  such  as  the  small  height  and 
capacity  of  the  skull,  the  obliquity  of  the  zygomatic  arch,  the  flattening  of 
the  tibia  and  the  perforation  of  the  humerus.  These  characteristics  are 
met  with  in  most  skeletons  of  the  so-called  Mound-builders,  and  they  may 
help  ua  to  distinguish  their  bones  from  those  of  more  modern  Indians," 
These  are  peculiarities  recognized  only  in  the  northern  mounds,  espe 
cially  those  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  and  Ohio.  They  are  character 
istic  of  the  hunter  class.  They  show  that  these  northern  Mound-builders 
were  more  like  the  modern  hunter  Indians  than  were  the  southern  Mound- 
builders.  Mr.  Henry  T.  Gilman  endeavored  to  show  that  flattening  the  shin 
bone,  perforation  of  the  humerus,  were  signs  of  a  very  low  order  of  a  man. 
They  were  Simian  traits.  But  Sir  William  Dawson  has  shown  that  the 
common  Indian  skull  is  equally  low  in  its  grade,  the  facial  angle  being 
scarcely  any  higher  than  that  found  in  the  Neanderthal  skull.  These  facts 
show  that  craniology  is  very  unreliable  in  the  matter  of  determining  the 
actual  mental  capacity  of  the  races.  For  certainly  the  Indians  are  regarded 


APPENDIX.  375 

as  much  superior  to  the  Neanderthal  man  or  any  of  the  troglodytes  of  Europe. 
All  of  these  northern  skulls  difler,  however,  from  the  Scioto  skull,  which 
Squier  and  Davis  advanced  as  representing  the  Mound-builders.  This  skull 
was  discovered  under  a  mound  near  Chillicothe,  and  was  remarkable  for  its 
vertical  and  transverse  development  and  for  the  truncated  or  flattened  form 
of  the  hinder  portion.  It  was  long  looked  upon  as  the  most  complete  type 
of  the  mound-crania.  According  to  Dr.  Wilson,  the  forehead  was  wide 
and  lofty,  but  the  flattening  of  the  occiput  was  artificial.  This  type  of  a 
skull  has  been  found  not  only  in  Ohio,  but  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Ten 
nessee.  Gen.  Gates  P.  Thruston  has  described  the  skulls  of  the  stone  grave 
people.  He  says  a  greater  number  has  been  taken  from  stone  graves  than 
from  any  other  section.  'J  he  typical  short  skull  with  flattened  occiput  is 
very  common,  though  by  no  means  characteristic  of  the  entire  series  found 
in  the  stone  graves.  He  says  that  this  is  also  a  marked  characteristic  of 
the  skulls  found  among  the  remains  of  the  Clifl-dwellers.  "The  Mound- 
builders,  the  stone  grave  builders  and  the  ancient  people  of  the  southwest 
were  evidently  closely  related,  or  were  originally  of  the  s^me  general  stock." 
Mr.  C.  C.  Jones,  Jr.,  has  figured  two  skulls,  one  that  of  a  modern  Indian 
buried  near  the  surface,  accompanied  with  Venetian  beads  and  copper  hawk 
bells,  the  other  the  cranium  of  a  primitive  Mound-builder,  which  came 
from  the  bottom  of  a  mound  and  was  vastly  older  ;  it  had  been  artificially 
distorted,  th«  front  portion  had  been  flattened.  The  flattening  of  the 
forehead  was  characteristic  of  the  Aztec  as  well  as  of  the  southern  In 
dians.  Dr.  J.  Q  Farquharson  has  also  described  the  skulls  taken  from  the 
mounds  near  Davenport,  and  has  given  a  table  of  measurements.  His  dia 
grams  show  the  boat  shape,  though  many  perforated  skulls  were  found  here 
as  well  as  at  Detroit. 

Here,  then,  we  have  many  specific  types  of  skulls;  the  long  skull,  the 
short  skull,  the  straight  skull,  the  boat-shaped  skull,  the  perforated  skull, 
the  skull  flattened  behind  and  the  skull  flattened  before.  To  these  might 
be  added  the  skulls  which  have  been  described  by  Mr.  William  P.  Clark  as 
occasionally  found  in  Wisconsin,  and  by  Prof.  M.  C.  Read  as  found  in  Ten 
nessee.  These  skulls  differ  from  all  the  others  in  that  the  shape  is  much 
rou  ider,  the  bones  thicker,  the  jaws  much  more  projecting,  and  the  parts 
indicate  a  much  lower  order  of  being.  Some  have  conjectured  that  "these 
belonged  to  a  very  ancient  race,  possibly  the  descendants  of  the  old  paleo 
lithic  race,"  the  fragments  of  which  were  afterwards  scattered  through 
various  parts  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory. 

Now,  what  ia  the  lesson  which  we  learn  from  the  study  of  the  skulls 
taken  from  the  mounds  in  so  many  different  localities  ?  We  have  thrown 
out  the  conjecture  that  there  were  several  different  tribes  or  stocks  of  Mound- 
builders,  those  at  the  south  akin  to  the  people  of  the  southwest;  those  at  the 
north  akin  to  the  wild  tribes  which  are  supposed  to  have  come  from  the 
northwest,  and  those  in  the  middle  district,  having  a  diversity  of  origin  ; 
but  that  the  ancient  Mound-builders  belonged  to  a  different  race  from  the 
hunter  Indians. 

This  conjecture  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  description  of  skulls  which 
have  been  thus  far  brought  out.  Still  we  remember  that  Dr  D.  G.  Brinton 
has  recently  advanced  the  theory  which  Dr.  S.  G.  Morton  formerly  did 
namely,  that  there  wa&Jtmt  on,e  race  and  that  should  be  called  the  American 


ir.R  HIT'S 


876  APPKNDIX. 

Race,  and  that  this  opinion  has  been  reached  by  the  study  of  langua. 
Or.  Mr.rton's  was  from  the  study  of  the  skulls.     This  theory  we  do  not  under 
take  to  reconcile  with  our  own  conjecture  of  a  diversity  of  races,  but  would 
only  say  that  in  the  present  stage  of  science  we  consider  it  unwise  to  base 
any  conclusion  upon  the  examination  of  the  crania. 

The  long-headed  skull  is  oval,  a  narrow  bulging  occiput,  the  forehead 
high  and  narrow,  with  marked  superciliary  ridges.  The  short  head  has  a 
tlattened  occiput,  the  frontal  bones  retract,  the  face  is  short,  the  superciliary 
ridges  are  heavy,  brows  are  straight,  orbits  open  and  square,  jaws  are  prog- 
nathic.  In  the  cemetery  at  Madisonville,  Ohio,  1,200  out  of  1,400  were 
brachycephalic.  E.  G.Squiers  describes  the  typical  Mound-builder's  skull  as 
having  two  distinctive  peculiarities.  One  of  these  is  what  is  called  the 
"Inca"  bone;  the  second  is,  they  are  so  short  and  high,  or  "orthocephalic." 

It  was  long  ago  found  out  that  in  the  short  heads  of  the  Peruvians  a  su 
ture  across  the  upper  portion  of  the  occiput  left  a  triangular  bone  between 
the  parietals,  to  which  the  name  "Inca"  is  given.  A  large  number  of  skulls 
in  the  Peabody  Museum  show  that  this  is  common  in  the  "short  skulls"  of 
Ohio  and  Peru. 


THE  QUARRIES  OF  FLINT  RIDGE. 

Mr.  Gerard  Fowke  speaks  of  the  extensive  quarries  on  Flint  Uidge. 
The  entire  deposit  is  eight  miles  long  and  five  miles  wide.  "Such  an  exam 
ination  as  could  be  made  in  a  day's  visit,  would  impress  the  observer  that 
he  was  viewing  the  scene  of  operations,  by  comparison  of  which  the  con 
struction  of  Ohio's  most  extensive  earth  works  would  be  mere  holiday 
sport.  Thousands  of  cubic  yards  have  been  removed ;  acre  after  acre  have 
been  thoroughly  excavated.  Hundreds  of  wagon  loads  of  spalls  cover  the 
ground ;  the  stone  is  extremely  hard ;  persons  may  have  to  work  an  entire 
day  with  the  best  steel  drills  to  make  a  hole  large  enough  for  a  blast.  A 
vast  amount  of  toil  was  involved  in  these  excavations."  The  method  of 
working  these  quarries  is  described.  They  were  worked  by  fire  and  by 
cold  water.  The  water  shattered  and  cracked  the  flint ;  large  boulders  of 
quartz  or  granite,  weighing  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds, 
have  been  found  in  the  bottom  of  the  pits,  which  were  used  as  hammers  to 
break  otr  the  limestone.  Small  hammers  were  used  to  block  out  the  flint 
pieces.  Many  of  these  finishing  shops  are  located  near  the  quarries- 
Deposits  of  these  leaf-shaped  blocks  were  afterward  made,  these  deposits 
were  covered  with  soil  so  that  the  flint  might  be  kept  from  hardening  and 
be  more  easily  worked.  The  deposit  in  the  mound  at  Clark's  Fort  con 
tained  7,500  specimens;  these  with  the  i;ni)  Squier  and  Davis  took  out,  would 
make  over  8,000  specimens. 

There  are  various  other  flint  quarries  in  the  State — in  Coshocton  County 
and  Perry  County  and  elsewhere.  In  fact  there  is  scarcely  a  county  along 
the  line  of  this  geological  formation  from  Western  Pennsylvania  to  Central 
Kentucky  where  these  flint  quarries  do  not  occur.  The  quarry  at  Flint 
Ridge  covered  thirty  square  miles  and  was  five  feet  thick.  The  people  using 
the  flint  extended  through  New  York,  West  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Iowa,  Wis 
consin  and  all  the  northern  part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 


642-3403 


tfEC.  Ci 


YC  2-7755 


